ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT04632771Updated Apr 18, 2022

Nutritional Status and Bouillon Use in Northern Ghana

An observational study in Iron Deficiency, Vitamin A Deficiency and Vitamin B 12 Deficiency, sponsored by University of California, Davis. Completed at 1 site in Ghana. Open to participants aged 2 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-04-18.

Sponsored by University of California, Davis · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
995
Ages
2 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This pilot aims to generate data that are critical for informing the design of a planned, more detailed study to evaluate the effect of multiple micronutrient (MN)-fortified bouillon cube on biomarkers of nutrient status of women and children. Data collection includes measures of nutritional status and dietary intake among women and children and their households in communities in northern Ghana.

Read the detailed description

Background: Micronutrient (MN) deficiencies are severe and widespread in West Africa including Ghana, which contributes to impaired growth and development in children, increased risk of mortality, and low economic productivity in adults. While large-scale intervention programs (including salt iodization and cooking oil and wheat flour fortification) exist, these programs are often not well-monitored, and they often provide only a subset of nutrients or reach only a subset of the deficient population.

Bouillon cubes may be an ideal fortification vehicle for delivering micronutrients in West Africa because they are purchased by most households (including rural and poorer households), added to home-made meals and consumed by most members of the household in relatively constant amounts, and they are mainly processed centrally at large scale. However, several important questions must be addressed regarding the extent to which multi-fortified bouillon cubes can address inadequate intake of key micronutrients.

Objective: This pilot aims to generate data that are critical for informing the design of a planned, more detailed study to evaluate the effect of multiple micronutrient-fortified bouillon cube on biomarkers of nutrient status of women and children.

Methods: This will be a cross-sectional study, which will be conducted in the Kumbungu and Tolon districts in the Northern Region, where a recent survey showed that micronutrient deficiencies were common. Four sets of research activities will be carried out, including:

  1. Pilot survey: The investigators will recruit non-pregnant, non-lactating women of reproductive age, WRA (n = 250), children 2-5 years of age (n = 250), and lactating women (n= 250) who will be identified from households in selected communities using the random walk method. Information collected will include anthropometric and micronutrient status, hemoglobin concentration, inflammation, morbidity, household-level food consumption, and individual dietary intakes.
  2. Retinol isotope dilution (RID) Pilot Study 1: The investigators will recruit non-pregnant and nonlactating women of reproductive age, WRA (n = 30) from a subset of the same communities as the pilot survey using the random walk method, and quantitatively estimate their total body vitamin A stores after consuming a dose of d6-labelled vitamin A. Total body stores of vitamin A will be estimated at 14 days after dosing.
  3. Retinol isotope dilution (RID) Pilot Study 2 (kinetic study): Based on results from RID pilot study 1, the investigators will recruit non-pregnant and non-lactating women of reproductive age, WRA (n = 123) from a subset of the same communities as the pilot survey using the random walk method, to construct a population-level plasma retinol kinetic curve, after consuming a dose of d6-labelled vitamin A. A compartmental model will be fit to the plasma retinol kinetic data to develop population-specific coefficients for the RID prediction equation to quantitatively estimate total body vitamin A stores of WRA in the study population.
  4. Formative research: The investigators will (a) conduct focus group discussions on knowledge, attitudes and practices related to salt and bouillon cube use, nutrition and health problems in the community, and micronutrient fortification; (b) perform a market assessment of the availability and cost of fortified, non-fortified and potentially fortifiable foods in the communities; and (c) observe how various local food recipes are prepared, including the types and quantities of ingredients used, and cooking duration and temperature.
02

Conditions studied

  • Iron Deficiency
  • Vitamin A Deficiency
  • Vitamin B 12 Deficiency
  • Folate Deficiency
  • Zinc Deficiency
  • Dietary Habits
  • Anemia
03

In context

Iron Deficiencies

386 studies on the registry are indexed under Iron Deficiencies; 80 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 995 is above the median of 200 across 77 observational studies indexed under Iron Deficiencies.

Browse Iron Deficiencies studies →

Lead sponsor

University of California, Davis is the lead sponsor of 809 studies on the registry; 142 are open to participants now.

Of its 67 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 43 (64%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Households in the urban and rural areas in Tolon and Kumbungu districts, in northern Ghana

Eligibility criteria

Pilot survey

Inclusion Criteria:

  • non-pregnant, non-lactating woman of reproductive age (15-49 years) OR child 2-5 years of age OR non-pregnant lactating woman (4-18 mo post-partum, 15-49 years of age)
  • signed by participant (if adult woman) or by at least one parent or guardian (if child)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • severe illness warranting hospital referral
  • chronic severe medical condition (e.g. ) or congenital anomalies requiring frequent medical attention or potentially inferring with nutritional status
  • unable to provide informed consent due to impaired decision making abilities (if adult woman, or caretaker of potentially eligible child)
  • current participation in a clinical trial

RID Pilot 1

Inclusion Criteria:

  • non-pregnant, nonlactating woman of reproductive age (15-49 years)
  • signed informed consent
  • planning to remain in the study area for the next 1 month
  • not planning to become pregnant during the next 1 month

Exclusion Criteria:

  • unable to provide informed consent due to impaired decision making abilities
  • pregnancy (as ascertained via urine pregnancy test for human chorionic gonadotropin)
  • severe illness warranting hospital referral
  • reported fever, vomiting or diarrhea (> 3 liquid or semi-liquid stools in 24h) in 7 d prior to data collection
  • chronic medical condition (e.g. malignancy, gastrointestinal disease) or congenital anomalies requiring frequent medical attention or potentially inferring with nutritional status
  • current participation in a clinical trial
  • concentration \<80 g/L on the day of isotope dosing
  • C-reactive protein concentration > 5 mg/L on the day of isotope dosing
  • reported use of micronutrient supplements that contain vitamin A more than 1 time/wk in the past 30 days

RID Pilot 2

Inclusion Criteria:

  • non-pregnant, nonlactating woman of reproductive age (15-49 years)
  • signed informed consent
  • planning to remain in the study area for the next 4 months
  • not planning to become pregnant during the next 4 months

Exclusion Criteria:

  • unable to provide informed consent due to impaired decision making abilities
  • pregnancy (as ascertained via urine pregnancy test for human chorionic gonadotropin)
  • severe illness warranting hospital referral
  • reported fever, vomiting or diarrhea (> 3 liquid or semi-liquid stools in 24h) in 7 d prior to data collection
  • chronic medical condition (e.g. malignancy, gastrointestinal disease) or congenital anomalies requiring frequent medical attention or potentially inferring with nutritional status
  • current participation in a clinical trial
  • hemoglobin concentration \<80 g/L on the day of isotope dosing
  • C-reactive protein concentration > 5 mg/L on the day of isotope dosing
  • reported use of micronutrient supplements that contain vitamin A more than 1 time/wk in the past 30 days

Formative Research

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults (including women, men, and other key community members such as merchants, etc.)
  • Provision of written informed consent
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(3)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
995 participants (actual)
Patient registry
No
Biospecimen retention
Samples with dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Pilot survey: non-pregnant, non-lactating women

    Survey of non-pregnant, non-lactating women 15-49 years of age (n=250)

    Other: N/A (observational study)

  • Pilot survey: lactating women

    Survey of lactating women 15-49 years of age who are currently breastfeeding a child 4-18 months of age (n=250)

    Other: N/A (observational study)

  • Pilot survey: children

    Survey of children 2-5 years of age (n=250)

    Other: N/A (observational study)

  • RID Pilot 1

    Two-week study to assess total body vitamin A stores in a sample of non-pregnant, non-lactating women 15-49 years of age (n=30)

    Other: N/A (observational study)

  • RID Pilot 2

    Kinetic study with "Super-woman" design to develop a prediction equation to assess total body vitamin A stores among non-pregnant, non-lactating women 15-49 years of age (n=123)

    Other: N/A (observational study)

  • Focus group discussions

    Focus group discussions conducted among women of reproductive age, older women, and men (n=120 total)

    Other: N/A (observational study)

  • Market assessment

    Survey of retail outlets selling fortified staple foods and/or bouillon (n=50 shop owners or operators)

    Other: N/A (observational study)

  • Recipe observations

    Observations of cooking of local dishes by selected participants (n=50) enrolled in the pilot survey.

    Other: N/A (observational study)

Interventions

  • OtherN/A (observational study)

    N/A (observational study)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Hemoglobin

    Hemoglobin concentration in venous blood (g/dL) among women and children

    Time frame: Day 1

  2. Iron status

    Concentrations of iron status biomarkers (serum iron, ferritin, and soluble transferrin receptor) among women and children

    Time frame: Day 1

  3. Vitamin A status

    Concentrations of vitamin A status biomarkers (serum retinol and retinol-binding protein) among women and children

    Time frame: Day 1

  4. Vitamin B12 status

    Concentrations of vitamin B12 in serum among women and children

    Time frame: Day 1

  5. Folate status

    Concentrations of folate in serum (among women and children) and whole blood and erythrocytes (women only)

    Time frame: Day 1

  6. Zinc status

    Serum zinc concentration among women and children

    Time frame: Day 1

  7. Breast milk vitamin A concentration

    Vitamin A concentration in breast milk, expressed per unit volume and per gram fat

    Time frame: Day 1

  8. Breast milk vitamin B12 concentration

    Vitamin B12 concentration in breast milk

    Time frame: Day 1

  9. Total body vitamin A stores

    Distribution of total body vitamin A stores among non-pregnant, non-lactating women, expressed as total mass and per gram of liver, estimated by retinol isotope dilution

    Time frame: Day 7

  10. Total body vitamin A stores

    Distribution of total body vitamin A stores among non-pregnant, non-lactating women, expressed as total mass and per gram of liver, estimated by retinol isotope dilution

    Time frame: Day 14

  11. Coefficient "Fa"

    Defined as the fraction of the oral tracer dose absorbed and retained in stores, estimated by modeling of data on labeled and unlabelled vitamin A in plasma collected using a "Super Woman" design and used to calculate total body stores for individual participants.

    Time frame: Blood samples from RID Pilot 2 participants collected at randomly assigned time points over a 90-day time frame

  12. Coefficient "S"

    Defined as retinol specific activity in plasma/stores at time "t", estimated by modeling of data on labeled and unlabelled vitamin A in plasma collected using a "Super Woman" design and used to calculate total body stores for individual participants.

    Time frame: Blood samples from RID Pilot 2 participants collected at randomly assigned time points over a 90-day time frame

  13. Prevalence of anemia and micronutrient deficiencies

    Prevalence of hemoglobin and micronutrient biomarkers above or below relevant cutoffs

    Time frame: Day 1

  14. Urinary iodine concentration

    Iodine concentration of urine among women and children

    Time frame: Day 1

  15. Themes from focus group discussions

    Perceptions of bouillon and salt use, cooking practices, noncommunicable disease, and other nutrition and diet-related issues

    Time frame: Day 1

  16. Recipe ingredients

    Quantity of each recipe ingredient (including bouillon and salt) used in common local recipes; interpreted in relation to cooking duration and temperature (type and duration, e.g. of boiling) used in common recipes

    Time frame: Day 1

  17. Fortified food accessibility

    Availability, price, and fortification levels of fortified food products in markets

    Time frame: Day 1

Secondary outcomes

  1. Blood pressure

    Blood pressure measured among women and children (mm Hg, systolic and diastolic)

    Time frame: Day 1

  2. Hypertension

    Prevalence of blood pressure measurements above cutoffs for hypertension

    Time frame: Day 1

  3. Height, cm

    Standing height measured among women and children

    Time frame: Day 1

  4. Weight, kg

    Weight measurement among women and children

    Time frame: Day 1

  5. Waist to hip ratio

    Waist and hip circumference (measured in cm) among women and their ratio

    Time frame: Day 1

  6. Mid-upper arm circumference, cm

    Mid-upper arm circumference measured among children

    Time frame: Day 1

  7. Anthropometric Z-scores

    Z-scores calculated for young children based on WHO growth standards (height-for-age, weight-for-height, height-for-age, BMI-for-age)

    Time frame: Day 1

  8. Prevalence of undernutrition

    Prevalence of anthropometric Z-scores or mid-upper arm circumference below WHO cutoffs to indicate child undernutrition

    Time frame: Day 1

  9. Prevalence of overweight and obesity

    Prevalence of body mass index (women) or BMI-for-age Z-score (children) above WHO cutoffs

    Time frame: Day 1

  10. Morbidity symptoms

    Reported malaria, diarrhea, fever, or vomiting in the past 7 days (all survey participants)

    Time frame: Day 1

  11. Inflammation

    Serum concentrations of CRP, AGP, amyloid A, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-10, IL-1b, adiponectin

    Time frame: Day 1

  12. Household-food consumption

    Calculated daily household level consumption and individual apparent consumption of fortified foods (wheat flour, oil, salt) and bouillon estimated using 1-month recall

    Time frame: Day 1

  13. Individual dietary intake

    Dietary intake of fortified foods and bouillon, measured by 24h recall among a subset of women participating in the survey who also participate in cooking observations

    Time frame: Day 1

  14. Urinary sodium concentration

    Expressed per unit volume and in relation to urinary creatinine concentration

    Time frame: Day 1

  15. Status of other micronutrients

    Concentrations of micronutrients in serum and breast milk (vitamins E, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)

    Time frame: Day 1

Other outcomes

  1. Micronutrient supplement use

    Reported use of daily or periodic micronutrient supplements in the past month

    Time frame: Day 1

  2. Consumption of fruits and vegetables

    Assessed using the WHO STEPS questionnaire

    Time frame: Day 1

  3. Consumption of snacks and sweetened beverages

    Assessed using the WHO STEPS questionnaire

    Time frame: Day 1

  4. Physical activity

    Assessed using the WHO STEPS questionnaire

    Time frame: Day 1

  5. Tobacco use

    Assessed using the WHO STEPS questionnaire

    Time frame: Day 1

  6. Alcohol use

    Assessed using the WHO STEPS questionnaire

    Time frame: Day 1

07

Study locations

1 site
  • University of Ghana
    Accra, Ghana
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Oct 2020 to primary completion in Feb 2022, 16 months.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Oct 27, 2020
First posted
Nov 17, 2020
StartActual
Oct 19, 2020
Primary completionActual
Feb 28, 2022
CompletionActual
Feb 28, 2022
Last update
Apr 18, 2022
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 18, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04632771
Collaborators
University of Ghana, Newcastle University, Penn State University, Helen Keller International
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 17, 2020
Start date
Oct 19, 2020
Primary completion
Feb 28, 2022
Completion
Feb 28, 2022
Last update
Apr 18, 2022

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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