Effectiveness of Cochlospermum tinctorium root powder based sauce fortified with moringa leaf powder in improving nutritional status of children aged 6 to 59 months in Northern Benin

Inappropriate complementary feeding is a major cause of malnutrition in young children in developing countries. The present study aimed at testing the effect of the consumption of Cochlospermum tinctorium root powder (CTRP) based sauce fortified with moringa leaf powder on the nutritional status of children aged 6 to 59 months in northern Benin. A two-week intervention in the form of nutrition rehabilitation hub was implemented in Tanguieta (Benin) among children suffering from moderate or mild acute malnutrition. A sample of 64 children aged 6-59 months was randomly selected and assigned to an intervention group and a control group. The 31 children in the intervention group consumed 100 g of CTRP based sauce fortified 10 g of moringa leaf powder daily for two weeks in the nutritional rehabilitation hub whereas the 33 in the control group kept their habitual diet and ate common foods from the study area. The nutritional status of the children were assessed using anthropometric parameters (weight, height) and age. Results from the study showed that the daily consumption of the food formula for two weeks significantly (p<0.05) improved children weight at the end of the trial. In addition, the children recovery rate and the acceptability rate of the sauce were respectively 82% and 80 % in the intervention group. It can be concluded that CTRP based sauce fortified with moringa leaf powder may contribute to fight against child malnutrition in Benin.