Acceptability of Two Lipid-based Complementary Food Supplements in a Peri-urban South African Community

Abstract

Objectives: This pilot study preceding an efficacy trial in a peri-urban South African community aimed to: 1) Evaluate the acceptability of two newly developed lipid-based multi-nutrient supplements (LNS) containing micronutrients, essential fatty acids (EFAs) with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), arachidonic acid (ARA) and phytase (Product B), and micronutrients and EFA with no DHA (Product A).  2) Compare the acceptability in terms of "general liking" of each of the two products with that of the maize porridge commonly used by the target population. 3) Evaluate the practical feasibility of usage of the two test products.  Methods: Pairs of mothers and 6-12 months old infants were enrolled in a two part study. Part 1 (n=20) was a cross-over randomized acceptability study and a five-point hedonic scale was used for acceptability evaluation (very bad=1; very good=5). Part 2 (n=41) was a two-week home-use trial followed by focus group discussions. Results: Part 1: the mean (± SD) general liking score of the mothers was 4.6±1.0 and 4.6±1.1 for products A and B, respectively; and for the infants as perceived by the mothers 3.9±1.8 and 4.2±1.6. Part 2: the mean (95% CI) adherence over two weeks was 62% (47-77%) and 65% (49-81%) for products A and B, respectively. FGDs confirmed that both these products were well accepted. Conclusions: The high general liking score and satisfactory home usage indicate that LNS containing EFAs may be well accepted in this population.