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Malnutrition, ChildEHCONSGDMCNCT05911893

the Effect of High Caloric Oral Nutritional Supplements on Growth and Development of Malnourished Children

A study testing high caloric oral nutritional supplements, nutritional education and dietary guidance in people with Malnutrition, Child and Malnourishment, run by Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University at 13 sites in China.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the effect of high caloric oral nutritional supplements on body proportion, weight, linear growth pattern, neuropsychological development level and related health aspects (gut health, immune function, quality of life, etc.) in participants aged 1 to 3 years who are… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 1 year to 3 years
What is being tested?
high caloric oral nutritional supplements, nutritional education and dietary guidance
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
200 participants
Where
13 sitesChina
Study dates
17 Jun 2024to 10 Mar 2026
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 1 year to 3 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Aged 1-3 years
  • BMI for Age Z-score<-2
  • Height-for-age z score<-2
  • Total daily energy intake<75% of recommended nutrient intake
  • The child's guardian is willing to participate in this study and sign an informed consent form.

Who cannot join

  • Chronic or severe infectious disease (e.g., chronic hepatitis, HIV or tuberculosis infection)
  • Certain congenital or genetic diseases affecting physical growth and development (congenital heart disease, Down's syndrome, infantile anorexia nervosa, etc.), malignancies and use of drugs (diuretics, appetite stimulants, steroids and growth hormones, etc.)
  • Severe gastrointestinal disorders (e.g., celiac disease, short bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, etc.)
  • Acute and chronic respiratory/digestive tract infections within 2 weeks prior to enrollment
  • Allergy or contraindication to any of the ingredients in the high-energy total nutrition formula used in this study
  • Have used high-energy enteral nutrition preparations for the last 3 months

Trial locations and contacts

13 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

13 sites in 1 country

China13 sites, 13 recruiting
  • Baoji Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital

    Baoji, Shanxi, 721000

    Xueqin Li, master's degree, 15229681332 ext. +86, 85581703@qq.com

    Recruiting
  • Children's Hospital of The Capital Institute of Pediatrics

    Beijing, Beijing Municipality, 100020

    Lin Wang, MD, 13501362346 ext. +86, caroldoctor@126.com

    Recruiting
  • Hunan Children's Hospital

    Changsha, Hunan, 410007

    Yan Zhong, bachelor's degree, 13873170189 ext. +86, zhongyan@163.com

    Recruiting
  • Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital,School of Medicine,University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

    Chengdu, Sichuan, 610091

    Lan Zhang, master's degree, 13982156971 ext. +86, 893279990@qq.com

    Recruiting
  • Growth, Development and Mental health of Children and Adolescence Center

    Chongqing, Chongqing Municipality, 400014

    Li Chen, MD, (+86)136 7762 0103 ext. +86, chenli2012@126.com

    Recruiting
  • Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center

    Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510200

    Yan Hu, master's degree, 13560366657 ext. +86, yayayan1979@163.com

    Recruiting
  • Guiyang Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital

    Guiyang, Guizhou, 550003

    Yan Luo, MD, 18585011079 ext. +86, 718410342@qq.com

    Recruiting
  • Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital

    Hefei, Anhui, 230001

    Ya Wang, master's degree, 13855150595 ext. +86, 22891588@qq.com

    Recruiting
  • The First Hospital of Jilin University

    Jilin City, Changchun

    Feiyong Jia, 13943003914 ext. +86

    Recruiting
  • Kunming Children's Hospital

    Kunming, Yunnan, 650000

    Yu Ling, bachelor's degree, 13888594860 ext. +86, lingyu@etyy.cn

    Recruiting
  • Jiangxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital

    Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006

    Ping Xu, bachelor's degree, 13879112716 ext. +86, 278938835@qq.com

    Recruiting
  • Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital

    Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210004

    Xia Chi, MD, 13813875862 ext. +86, 264601855@qq.com

    Recruiting
  • Xianyang Children's Hospital

    Xianyang, Shanxi, 712000

    Hongxia Yan, bachelor's degree, 15909263117 ext. +86, 1142179306@qq.com

    Recruiting

Other trials in China

About this study

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the effect of high caloric oral nutritional supplements on body proportion, weight, linear growth pattern, neuropsychological development level and related health aspects (gut health, immune function, quality of life, etc.) in participants aged 1 to 3 years who are malnourished (underweight and wasting),as well as to evaluate the safety of applying high caloric oral nutritional supplements. Participants will receive nutritional education and daily high caloric oral nutritional supplements(experimental group),or will receive nutritional education and dietary instruction(control group).This study may provide data to support the development of clinical intervention strategies for malnourished Chinese children.

Read the detailed description

Background:Growth and development is an important indicator of children's health and nutritional status, and nutrition is the most important material basis for growth and development. The prevention and treatment of malnutrition in children can be achieved by choosing whole nutritional formulas for special medical purposes as oral nutritional supplements (ONS), which has been confirmed by some overseas clinical studies to promote the growth benefit of malnourished children, but no multicenter clinical study has been conducted in China on the effect of ONS on the improvement of growth and development of malnourished Chinese children.

Objective and significance: To investigate the effects of high caloric ONS on body proportion, weight, linear growth pattern, neuropsychological development level and related health aspects (gut health, immune function, quality of life, etc.) in children, as well as to evaluate the safety of applying high caloric ONS, and to provide data to support the development of clinical intervention strategies for malnourished Chinese children.

Research design:A multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial design method is used to randomize children who meet the inclusion criteria into the experimental and control groups using a competitive entry method. The test group is given nutritional education and high caloric ONS (which can supplement 30% of the energy requirement), while the control group is given nutritional education and dietary instruction.Participants are followed up at 0, 1,2, 3, 6, and 12 months of enrollment. The investigators will collect dietary diaries, physical indicators, developmental quotient scores, quality of life measures, gut health, infectious disease-related questionnaires and safety indicators (blood biochemical indicators, urine routine) from children in both groups to comprehensively assess the effect of high caloric ONS intervention on physical growth, neuropsychological development levels and related aspects (gut health, immune function, quality of life, etc.) of malnourished children, as well as to conduct safety analyses.

Sample size:According to similar studies to date, a total of 200 people are recommended for this study.

Statistical analysis: Statistical analysis is performed using SAS 9.4. For continuous variables (height, weight, BMI-Z score, DQ score, etc.), statistical descriptions are performed using mean and standard deviation (conforming to normal distribution) or median and interquartile range (IQR); for categorical variables, statistical descriptions are performed using frequency and percentage; for the main efficacy indicators, mixed-effects models are used for efficacy evaluation indicators according to the principle of adjusted intentionality analysis (mITT). For the safety evaluation, the number, frequency and incidence of adverse events and reactions are calculated, and the positive abnormal changes of laboratory biochemical indexes such as blood routine, urine routine, liver and kidney function are counted. p value < 0.05 is considered statistically significant.

Ethical matters and data protection: The guardians of the children participating in the study will sign an informed consent form. This study is approved by the local ethics committee. Patients' names will be abbreviated and study data will be assigned a code which will then be provided to the investigator. Parental authorization for patient health information will remain in effect until the study is completed. After that, private information will be removed from the study records by the researcher.

Being tested
high caloric oral nutritional supplements, nutritional education, dietary guidance
Keywords
Oral Nutritional Supplements, Physique Growth, Neuropsychological Development
Medical subject headings
Child Nutrition Disorders, Malnutrition

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • high caloric oral nutritional supplementsDietary supplement

    Also called high-energy total nutrition formula

    High caloric oral nutritional supplements (which can supplement 30% of the energy requirement) is given daily, and the recommended amount of energy and protein is referred to the 2013 Chinese Dietary Nutrient Reference Intake Table. At 6 months of enrollment, participants will be asked to evaluate whether to continue feeding according to the experimental group protocol or to stop to ensure proper nutritional intake.

  • nutritional educationBehavioural

    After enrollment,health education information is pushed approximately every 4 weeks through the WeChat platform or/and short text messages to parents.

  • dietary guidanceBehavioural

    At follow-up visits at 0, 1, 2, 3, 6,and 12 months after enrollment, a professionally trained pediatrician give the participant's guardian dietary instructions appropriate to the age stage and physical condition of the child. Each session lasts approximately 10 minutes.

Study groups in NCT05911893
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
high caloric oral nutritional supplements groupExperimentalParticipants aged 1 to 3 years who are malnourished (underweight and wasting). They will receive nutritional education,dietary instruction and daily high caloric oral nutritional supplements for 12 months.
Receives: Dietary Supplement: high caloric oral nutritional supplements; Behavioral: nutritional education; Behavioral: dietary guidance
nutritional education and dietary guidance groupActive comparatorParticipants aged 1 to 3 years who are malnourished (underweight and wasting). They will receive nutrition education and dietary instruction.
Receives: Behavioral: nutritional education; Behavioral: dietary guidance

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. BMI for Age Z-score(BAZ)

    Trained research assistants or health care practitioners obtain weight in kilograms and height in centimeters (mean of 3 consecutive measurements). Height and weight will be combined to report BMI in kg/m^2.Then, the BAZ is calculated using WHO2011v3.2.2 software.

    Measured: at 6 months of enrollment

Secondary outcomes (14)
  1. Dietary Diary

    Participants provide a dietary diary over an average two-day period through a WeChat app each visit. The app prompts participants to record and estimate details of all meals and snacks they consumed, especially formula used in the study.

    Measured: at 0, 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months of enrollment

  2. BMI for Age Z-score(BAZ)

    Trained research assistants or health care practitioners obtain weight in kilograms and height in centimeters (mean of 3 consecutive measurements). Height and weight will be combined to report BMI in kg/m^2.Then, the BAZ is calculated using WHO2011v3.2.2 software.

    Measured: at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 12 months of enrollment

  3. Weight for Age Z-score(WAZ)

    Trained research assistants or health care practitioners obtain weight in kilograms using a standardized approach. Weight is measured using a precision digital scale or mechanical scale(mean of 3 consecutive measurements). Then, the WAZ is calculated using WHO2011v3.2.2 software.

    Measured: at 0, 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months of enrollment

  4. Height for Age Z-score(HAZ)

    Trained research assistants or health care practitioners obtain height in centimeters using a standardized approach. Height is measured with a calibrated stadiometer(mean of 3 consecutive measurements). Then, the HAZ is calculated using WHO2011v3.2.2 software.

    Measured: at 0, 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months of enrollment

  5. Gesell Developmental Scale Test

    Mainly assesses participants in 5 areas:adaptive behavior, gross motor, fine motor, language behavior,personal-social behavior, the evaluation finally calculates the developmental quotient (DQ) of each area. Diagnostic criteria: DQ is more than or equal to 86 is normal, DQ is marginal between 76 and 85, DQ is mild mental retardation between 55 and 75, DQ is moderate mental retardation between 40 and 54, DQ is severe mental retardation between 25 and 39, and DQ is less than or equal to 25 is extremely severe mental retardation.

    Measured: at 0, 6, and 12 months of enrollment

  6. Infants - Junior High School Students Social Competence Test (S-M test)

    The scale, derived from the revised version of the Japanese Social Competence test (S-M test) and revised by a Chinese researcher, is applicable to children from 6 months of age to 14 years of age and includes 132 items in 6 sections with 7 starting ages, which are filled in item by item by parents or daily caregivers according to the appropriate age, with ≥10 being normal.

    Measured: at 0, 6, and 12 months of enrollment

  7. Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL)

    The quality of life of the participants is assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory.The Infant Scale or Generic Core Scales is completed according to age.Scores are transformed on a scale from 0 to 100,with higher scores indicating better quality of life.

    Measured: at 0, 6, and 12 months of enrollment

  8. the Chinese version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF)

    The quality of life of parents is assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF.The WHOQOL-BREF, comprises 26 items, two general items and 24 others, across the following four domains: physical (7 items), psychological (6 items), social (3 items), and environmental (8 items).Calculate the average score of all items in each domain, converted into a score of 4 to 20 or 0 to100 by two algorithms,with higher scores indicating better quality of life.

    Measured: at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment

  9. Gut Health Questionnaire

    A questionnaire is used to understand gut health, including entries on the Bristol Stool Scale (to assess stool status), the average number of bowel movements per day, and the frequency of bloating and abdominal pain.

    Measured: at 0, 1,3, 6, and 12 months of enrollment

  10. Infectious Diseases Related Questionnaire

    A infectious disease-related questionnaire is used to understand immune function, including the number and duration of upper respiratory tract infections, infectious diarrhea.

    Measured: at 0, 1,3, 6, and 12 months of enrollment

  11. Blood Routine Test

    Blood routine test is completed at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment for safety analysis.Includes the following parameters:white blood cell count,red blood cell count,hemoglobin,mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration,platelet,standard deviation in red cell distribution width,coefficient variation of red blood cell volume distribution width,platelet distribution width,mean platelet volume,platelet larger cell ratio,thrombocytocrit,neutrophil ratio,lymphocyte ratio,monocyte ratio,eosinophil ratio,basophil ratio,neutrophil count,lymphocyte count,monocyte count,eosinophil count,basophil count.

    Measured: at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment

  12. Liver Function Test

    Liver function test is completed at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment for safety analysis.Includes the following parameters:total protein,albumin,globulin,alanineamino transferase,aspartate amino transferase,bilirubin,direct bilirubin,total bile acid,alkaline phosphatase,amma-glutamyl transpeptidase.

    Measured: at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment

  13. Renal Function Test

    Renal function test is completed at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment for safety analysis.Includes the following parameters:creatinine,blood urea nitrogen.

    Measured: at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment

  14. Urine Routine Test

    Urine routine test is completed at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment for safety analysis.Includes the following parameters:urinary bilirubin,urinary ketone bodies,blood,urinary white blood cells,urinary red blood cells,urinary sugar,urinary protein,urinary cast.

    Measured: at 0, 6 and 12 months of enrollment

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted22 Jun 2023
  2. Study start17 Jun 2024
  3. Primary completion10 Mar 2026
  4. Study completion10 Mar 2026 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Participants aged 1 to 3 years who are malnourished (underweight and wasting) are randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group is given nutritional education and high-energy total nutrition formula, while the control group is given nutritional education and dietary guidance. At the 1-month, 2-month, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups of enrollment, children in the control group are transferred to the trial group if the assessment revealed that they are unable to achieve ≥75% of their predicted nutritional requirements through dietary modification or their rate of weight gain do not improve, according to the study design principles of the stepped wedge cluster trial.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
200 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05911893
Sponsor's protocol ID
EHCONSGDMC
Acronym
EHCONSGDMC
Status last verified
Nov 2025
First submitted
16 May 2023
Last updated
18 Mar 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: Data is confidential during the study.

Publications

  • Hemming K, Taljaard M, McKenzie JE, Hooper R, Copas A, Thompson JA, Dixon-Woods M, Aldcroft A, Doussau A, Grayling M, Kristunas C, Goldstein CE, Campbell MK, Girling A, Eldridge S, Campbell MJ, Lilford RJ, Weijer C, Forbes AB, Grimshaw JM. Reporting of stepped wedge cluster randomised trials: extension of the CONSORT 2010 statement with explanation and elaboration. BMJ. 2018 Nov 9;363:k1614. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k1614.

    PubMed 30413417

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing high caloric oral nutritional supplements, nutritional education and dietary guidance in people with Malnutrition, Child and Malnourishment, run by Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University at 13 sites in China.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Mar 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 13 sites in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Li Chen, doctor (136 7762 0103 ext. +86, chenli2012@126.com), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

BMI for Age Z-score(BAZ) (time frame: at 6 months of enrollment). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05911893, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Mar 2026.

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