Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the participating children in each supplementation group

Child characteristic

 Age (Month)^a

14 · 11 ± 5 · 25

12 · 20 ± 5 · 24

0 · 000

 Sex, Female

207 (47.15)

191 (50.40)

0.355

 Feeding history (%)

  Initiation of breast feeding <1 h

231 (52.74)

237 (62.53)

0.005

  Colostrum feeding

415 (94 · 53)

356 (93 · 93)

0.712

  Introduction of soft and semisolid food

    < 3 months

45 (10 · 30)

32 (8 · 44)

0.418

   3–5 months

87 (19.91)

83 (21.90)

   5–7 months

279 (63 · 84)

249 (65.70)

    > 7 months

26 (5 · 95)

15 (3.96)

  Vitamin A in the last six month

277 (63.10)

196 (51.72)

0 · 001

 Nutritional Status^a

  Weight for height z score

−1 · 07 ± 1 · 17

−0 · 70 ± 1 · 16

0.000

  Height for age z score

−1 · 74 ± 1 · 25

−1 · 58 ± 1 · 18

0.053

  Weight for age z score

−1 · 70 ± 1 · 28

−1 · 38 ± 1 · 28

0.0004

Mother’s characteristic

 Mother’s age (Year)^a

24 · 87 ± 5 · 41

24 · 75 ± 4 · 73

0.725

 Mother’s education (%)

  No schooling

94 (21.41)

69 (18 · 21)

0.138

  Primary incomplete

139 (31.66)

101 (26.65)

  Primary complete

169 (38.50)

172 (45.38)

  Secondary

37 (8.43)

37 (9.76)

Household characteristic

 Food security status

  Food secure

226 (51.48)

246 (64.91)

0.001

  Mild food insecurity

52 (11.85)

37 (9.76)

  Moderate food insecurity

95 (21.64)

64 (16.89)

  Severe food insecurity

66 (15.03)

32 (8.44)

 Asset index^b

  Poorest

90 (20.50)

74 (19.53)

0.406

  Poor

89 (20.27)

75 (19.79)

  Middle

97 (22.10)

68 (17.94)

  Rich

78 (17.77)

84 (22.16)

  Richest

85 (19.36)

78 (20.58)

 Monthly income US$ (1 US$ = 78 BDT)

   ≤ 64

106 (24.15)

72 (19.00)

0.079

  65–128

246 (56.04)

226 (59.63)

  129–192

41 (9.34)

50 (13.19)

   > 192

46 (10.48)

31 (8.18)

Biochemical characteristic of children

 Hemoglobin (g/dl)^a

10.57 ± 1.28

10.78 ± 1.35

0.023