History of the Incap Longitudinal Study on the Effects of Early Nutrition Supplementation in Child Growth and Development

Abstract

In the mid-1960s a longitudinal, multidisciplinary nutrition intervention study was undertaken in rural Guatemala by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama in conjunction with the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The goal was to elucidate the relationship between undernutrition in pregnancy and early childhood, health, and subsequent behavioural development in infants and young children. Extensive detailed planning coupled with three years of pilot studies in the field preceded the initiation of the longitudinal study in 1969. This article outlines the problems encountered in planning and implementing the study, and their resolution. Many of these experiences will be helpful to others considering community-based intervention studies.