Clinical Research Directory
Browse clinical research sites, groups, and studies.
Nourishing for Knowledge: Fish Powder in School Meals in Malawi
Sponsor: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Summary
Background: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a research component of a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project in Malawi. The project aims to initiate pilot programs to integrate fish powders into existing home-grown school feeding program frameworks and meals served in selected schools in Malawi. The objective of the RCT is to assess the impact on dietary diversity and nutrition status (through biomarker analysis) of children receiving school meals in selected pilot schools. Trial Design: This will be a two-armed single-blinded RCT with a closed cohort design, featuring two parallel groups with a 1:1 allocation ratio. The intervention will include 3-5g of fish powder added to the school meal (per 100g serving) five days per week, while the control group will receive the usual school meal. Children (n=270) of at least 10 years of age will be enrolled in the study. The primary outcome variable is the difference between the two arms in the contribution of school meals to zinc concentration measured in dried blood spots (DBS).
Official title: A Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess the Impact of School Meals Including Fish Powder on the Nutritional Status and Diet Quality of Malawian Schoolchildren
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
10 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
270
Start Date
2026-04-15
Completion Date
2026-07-31
Last Updated
2025-07-25
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
Fish Powder
This RCT aims to test the effectiveness of fish powder (produced from dried fish from Lake Malawi - Lake Malawi sardine) used to fortify school meals. The intervention meal will be the normal school meal, however substituing 3-5g of ingredients (such as soya flour, maize flour or groundnut flour) for 3-5g of fish powder.
Locations (3)
School to be randomly selected prior to RCT
Mangochi, Malawi
School to be randomly selected prior to RCT
Nkhotakota, Malawi
School to be randomly selected prior to RCT
Salima, Malawi