Effect of eggs on Maya child development and growth: the Saqmolo' Project randomized clinical trial

There is worldwide interest in determining whether frequent egg provision during complementary feeding enhances child development and growth in low-resource settings. We evaluated effects of adding one whole egg per day to local standard nutrition care on infant outcomes.

The Saqmolo' Project individually randomized, partially blinded, comparative effectiveness clinical trial was conducted in rural Guatemala from 2021 to 2023. Maya infants aged 6-9 months were randomized to standard nutrition care alone (growth monitoring, complementary and responsive feeding education, deworming medication, multiple micronutrient powders, and referrals for medical care) versus standard care plus one whole egg per day for 6 months. Mixed linear or logistic regression models were used to estimate between-group differences in primary (global development score) and secondary (growth, anemia status, and diet quality) outcomes.

This trial included 1200 Maya infants (51.3% male). After adjustment for baseline values and participant characteristics, there was no significant between-group difference in global development score (β -0.08 points [95% CI -0.22 to 0.06]). There were also no significant between-group differences for most secondary outcomes. Intervention participants did have significantly higher odds of stunting (odds ratio [OR] 1.42 [95% CI 1.10-1.82]; p = 0.007) and of meeting minimum dietary diversity (OR 1.41 [95% CI 1.20-1.65]; p < 0.001) and minimum adequate diet (OR 1.44 [95% CI 1.26-1.64]; p < 0.001) benchmarks than standard care participants.

Provision of one whole egg per day in addition to standard care improved diet quality but did not benefit development, growth, or anemia status among Maya infants.

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation via an Egg Nutrition Center investigator-initiated research grant.