An interventional study of Medium-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (MQ-LNS) and Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (SQ-LNS) in Undernutrition, sponsored by Aga Khan University. Recruiting at 2 sites in Pakistan. Open to participants aged 26 Weeks to 33 Weeks, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-03.
Sponsored by Aga Khan University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
Nutrition is essential for a child's growth, brain development, and protection from disease. While breastmilk provides the best nutrition for young infants, children older than six months may not get all the nutrients they need from breastmilk and regular foods alone. For this reason, some children receive special nutrient supplements to support healthy growth.
Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) are one type of supplement that provides important vitamins and minerals. These supplements are used in many countries to help prevent undernutrition in young children. In Pakistan, the government-led multisectoral nutrition program under the social safety net program currently provides medium-quantity LNS to children starting at six months of age. However, it is not known whether a smaller-quantity LNS could provide similar benefits for children in this age group from under-resourced communities that have limited access to nutritious foods.
The goal of this trial is to learn whether small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) work as well as medium-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (MQ-LNS) in preventing undernutrition in children aged 6 to 12 months.
The main questions this study aims to answer are:
Researchers will compare SQ-LNS and MQ-LNS to see if SQ-LNS is as good as MQ-LNS in preventing undernutrition.
The study is being conducted in Dadu and Peshawar, Pakistan. Participants will be followed until 12 months of age.
Participants will:
1,277 studies on the registry are indexed under Malnutrition; 230 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 1,568 is above the median of 118 across 843 interventional studies indexed under Malnutrition.
Browse Malnutrition studies →Aga Khan University is the lead sponsor of 294 studies on the registry; 43 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Children receiving MQ-LNS
Dietary Supplement: Medium-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (MQ-LNS)
Children receiving SQ-LNS
Dietary Supplement: Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (SQ-LNS)
50 g/day lipid-based nutrient supplement providing energy and essential micronutrients, administered daily for 6 months.
20 g/day lipid-based nutrient supplement providing energy and essential micronutrients, administered daily for 6 months.
Stunting
length-for-age z-score (LAZ) \< -2 SD
Time frame: Monthly from enrollment to the end of intervention period at 6 months
Wasting
weight-for-length z-score (WLZ) \< -2 SD
Time frame: Monthly from enrollment to the end of intervention period at 6 months
Underweight
weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) \< -2 SD
Time frame: Monthly from enrollment to the end of intervention period at 6 months
Morbidity
Includes diarrhea (liquid stools defined as ≥3 loose or watery stools within 24 hour), respiratory infection (cough plus rapid, difficult breathing), vomiting, fever, rash/sores, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia.
Time frame: Monthly from enrollment to the end of intervention period at 6 months
Prevalence of anemia
hemoglobin \<10.5 g/dL. For mild anemia: hemoglobin 9.5 - 10.4 g/dL For moderate anemia: 7.0 - 9.4 g/dL For severe anemia: \<7.0 g/dL
Time frame: At enrollment and later at the end of intervention period at 6 months
Plan to share: Yes — De-identified individual participant data (IPD) underlying the results reported in publications will be shared.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Analytic code
Time frame: January 2028 - January 2035
Access criteria: Access to de-identified IPD will be provided to researchers upon reasonable request. Data access will be subject to approval by the Principal Investigator and the ethical review committee of Aga Khan University. Data will be shared through a secure data transfer mechanism.
Started Feb 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jul 2027, 17 months after the start.
Of 392 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Malnutrition, half reached primary completion within 21 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 37. This study's planned 17 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 418 studies reached it within 22 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 37.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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