Contents - Previous - Next

Results

TABLE 1 Descriptive statistics for outcome variables by sex and type of supplement

Values are means SD.
* P<0.05, t-test comparing Atole and Fresco. Length at 3 y of age did not differ between Atole and Fresco in 1968, at baseline (Habicht et al.1995, Ruel et al. 1992). Also note that maternal height (Table 2) did not differ by village type.

TABLE 2 Descriptive for independent variables by sex and village type

Values are means ± SD.

* P<0.05, t-test comparing Atole and Fresco.

¹ Differences in sample sizes among variables are due to missing values.

² The percent with dietary energy intakes equal to the median or greater was 45.2%; (n = 115) and 54% (n = 126) in males and females respectively in Atole villages. The corresponding values for Fresco were 50.4% (n = 113) and 49.5% (n = 97). Differences between Atole and Fresco were not significant for males or females.

³ Standarized scores from factor analysis are unitless.

Descriptive statistics for outcome variables (Table 1) and independent variables (Table 2) are presented by sex and supplement type. Length and weight at 3 y of age were significantly greater in Atole compared with Fresco villages for both genders (P<0.05). Differences in favor of Atole villages were 1.6 and 2.7 cm in length and 0.7 and 1.2 kg in weight for males and females, respectively. Weight, height and FFM at adolescence were also significantly greater in Atole villages in females (P<0.05) but comparisons were not significantly different between Atole and Fresco villages in males. Chronological age as well as maturation were significantly greater in Fresco males (e.g., 16.1 and 16.6 y for Atole and Fresco males, respectively, for chronological age; Table 2); later analyses of size at adolescence adjust for these differences. Table 2 also shows that energy intake from the supplement was significantly greater in Atole villages (P<0.05) for both genders, and that energy intake from home diets, although slightly greater in Fresco villages, was not significantly greater. Maternal height, socioeconomic status and percent time with diarrhea did not differ between supplement types for either gender.

TABLE 3 Adjusted length/heicht (cm) of Atole and Fresco subjects

¹ Means ± SE. Means were adjusted for dietary intake, percent of time with diarrhea, socioeconomic status, maternal height and maturation (adolescence only).

² Atole minus Fresco.

Tables 3-5 present adjusted mean values of the various outcome variables for Atole and Fresco villages, by gender. The regression models (numbered consecutively from 1 to 18) used to compute these adjusted means are presented in Appendices 1-3.

TABLE 4 Adjusted weight (kg) Atole and Fresco subjects

¹ Means ± SE. Means were adjusted for dietary intake, percent time with diarrhea, socioeconomic status, maternal height and maturation (in the case of adolescence only).

² Atole minus Fresco

At 3 y of age, adjusted lengths and weights for both males and females were significantly greater in Atole compared with Fresco villages (Tables 3 and 4). In length, differences in adjusted means between Atole and Fresco were 2.0 cm in males and 2.9 cm in females, while in weight they were 0.7 kg and 1.3 kg for males and females, respectively. These differences were slightly greater in length compared with those obtained using unadjusted means (unadjusted differences were 1.6 and 2.7 cm, respectively in males and females; from data in Table 1) but nearly similar in the case of weight (unadjusted differences were 0.7 and 1.2 kg, respectively, in males and females; Table 11.

TABLE 5 Adjusted fat-free mass (FFM) in Atole and Fresco subjects

¹ Means ± SE. Means were adjusted for dietary intake, percent time with diarrhea, socioeconomic status, maternal height and for maturation (in the case of adolescence only).

² Atole minus Fresco

Adolescents from Atole villages were taller (Table 3) and heavier (Table 4) than those of Fresco villages, although the differences were not statistically significant in males. The adjustments, particularly the correction for differences in maturation at adolescence between Atole and Fresco samples, reversed the sign of the anthropometric differences in males to favor Atole (i.e., Fresco males were taller and heavier at adolescence before adjustment but shorter and lighter after adjustment). Relative to adjusted differences at 3 y of age, adjusted differences at adolescence were smaller for height (1.2 versus 2.0 cm in males and 2.1 versus 2.9 cm in females; Table 3) but larger for weight (1.2 versus 0.7 kg in males and 2.2 versus 1.3 kg in females; Table 4)

Differences between Atole and Fresco villages at adolescence ceased to be significant after adjustment for length or weight at 3 y, indicating that differences observed at adolescence were due to differences already established at 3 y of age (Tables 3 and 4).

When weight at adolescence was adjusted for height at adolescence (Table 41).values - but differences in weight between Atole and Fresco villages were about half the size of the unadjusted values - but still substantial in females - and not statistically significant for either sex.

FFM at adolescence was greater in Atole villages in both males (0.8 kg) and females (2.1 kg). When FFM was adjusted for height, the Atole versus Fresco difference in males was reduced to 0.2 kg and became nonsignificant whereas that fin females was reduced to 1.2 kg but remained significant (Table 5).

Contents - Previous - Next