Description of study population

Study participants are children aged 6 to 56 months at baseline. Children less than six months are expected to be exclusively breastfed according to prevailing guidelines. Counselling on LAD that promotes intake of enhancers of iron absorption and avoiding the intake of inhibitors of iron absorption would not be appropriate in the below 6-month age group. Participants must also be less than 56 months of age at baseline because the intervention is expected to last for three months and it is expected that, participant recruited must be below five years at post intervention. The mothers or caregivers of eligible children would receive the counselling on locally available diets.

All eligible children 6–56 months of age at baseline would be included in the study so as to answer the first two specific objectives of the study, which seek to determine the prevalence and factors associated with anaemia among children less than five years. To answer the third specific objective, which is the cluster randomized control trial on the effect of counselling on anaemia status, only children whose haemoglobin level at baseline is less than 11.0g/dl would be included. All children with haemoglobin level at base line above 11.0g/dl would be excluded.