Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children
Published on: August 22, 2012
Decreasing stunting, anemia, and vitamin A deficiency in Peru: results of the Good Start in Life Program
Aarón Lechtig1, Guido Cornale, María Elena Ugaz
1Agencia Internacional de Seguridad Alimentaria (AISA), Lima, Peru. alechtigl@yahoo.com
Background:
The rates of stunting, iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin A deficiency in Peru are among the highest in South America. There is little scaled-up experience on how to solve these problems countrywide.
Objective:
To evaluate the Good Start in Life Program during the period from 2000 to 2004.
Methods:
Data on weight, height, hemoglobin, serum retinol, urinary iodine, and age were obtained from children under 3 years of age during two transverse surveys in 2000 and 2004.
Results:
In 2004, the program covered 75,000 children, 35,000 mothers, and 1 million inhabitants from 223 poor communities. The rate of stunting decreased from 54.1% to 36.9%, the rate of iron-deficiency anemia decreased from 76.0% to 52.3%, and the rate of vitamin A deficiency decreased from 30.4% to 5.3% (p < .01). The annual cost per child was US$116.50.
Conclusions:
Adaptations of this participative program could contribute to decreased stunting, iron-deficiency anemia, and vitamin A deficiency at the national scale in Peru and many other countries.
Related Concept Videos
Nature and Nurture
Vitamins
Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Preventive Healthcare Services
Parentral Nutrition: Centeral and Peripheral Parental Nutrition
PN can be administered through two primary routes:
1. Central Parenteral Nutrition (CPN):
CPN involves delivering a high concentration of nutrients through a large vein. This is typically achieved using a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or,...
Teratogenicity