Effect of Edible Cricket Enriched Complementary Porridge and Nutrition Education on Linear Growth of Children 6-14 Months in Siaya County, Kenya - A Randomized 2 × 2 Factorial Trial

Sep 30, 2026

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Edible crickets are farmed insects rich in high-quality protein and micronutrients, offering a potential substitute for common animal source proteins in complementary food. This 2×2 factorial randomized controlled trial tested effects of cricket-enriched complementary porridge (±CR) and monthly personalized nutrition education sessions (±ED) on linear growth among 284 mother–infant dyads in Siaya County, Kenya. Infants were selected at 6 months with MUAC >11.5 cm; outcomes used monthly measurements and health/feeding data. A significant length-for-age Z-score contrast favored the cricket-enriched arm (Z=-0.28, p=0.03), while growth rates were similar across food arms and education improved weight-for-length.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Summary

Maternal & Child Nutrition ORIGINAL ARTICLE Effect of Edible Cricket Enriched Complementary Porridge and Nutrition Education on Linear Growth of Children 6–14 Months in Siaya County, Kenya: A Randomized 2 × 2 Factorial Trial Nicky O. Okeyo1 | Cecilie E. Wille2 | Samuel M. Kiiru3 | Asenath J. Sigot1 | Jeremiah Ng'ang'a3 | John Kinyuru3 | Nanna Roos2 | Silvenus O. Konyole1 1Department of Nutritional Sciences, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya | 2Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark | 3Department of Food Science and Technology, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Juja, Kenya Correspondence: Nicky O. Okeyo ([nickokeyo2000@gmail.com](nickokeyo2000@gmail.com)) Received: 25 April 2025 | Revised: 21 November 2025 | Accepted: 3 December 2025 Keywords: breastmilk | complementary feeding | edible crickets | infants | insects | stunting ABSTRACT Edible crickets are commonly farmed insects containing high‐quality protein and micronutrients. They can potentially replace common animal source protein in complementary food (CF) . We evaluated the effect of edible cricket‐enriched CF on linear growth in a 2 × 2 factorial randomized control trial based on Cricket treatment (+/−CR) and Nutrition Education treatment (+/−ED). We enrolled 284 eligible mother–infant dyads with infants from 6 months having a middle upper arm circumference (MUAC) > 11.5 cm at Rwambwa Sub‐County Hospital, Siaya County, Kenya. Participants were randomized to treatment arms with intervention foods issued monthly as a take‐home food ration adjusted for age, were offered +ED sessions monthly as personalized audio–visual sessions where education messages and reminders were sent to the mother's mobile phones. Monthly infant anthropometry, feeding practices and child health data were collected. A significant contrast (Z = −0.28 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.53) [p = 0.03]) in length‐for‐age Z‐score (LAZ) between −CR and +CR was observed. By MUAC, girls were significantly 1.98 (1.15, 3.41) (p = 0.01) times likely to be undernourished. Increased illness episodes significantly increased the child's risk to undernutrition, with those experiencing three episodes being 4.30 (95% CI: 1.21, 15.37) times likely to suffer undernutrition, while those with above five episodes were almost six times as likely to be malnourished. Consuming either of the intervention foods resulted in a similar growth rate irrespective of nutrition education treatment offered. Nutrition education improved weight‐for‐length, irrespective of CF consumed. The similarity in growth rate across study arms signifies the potential of edible cricket protein in growth of infants' comparative to the super cereal. Trial registration: [https://clinicaltrials.gov](https://clinicaltrials.gov NCT06002620)[ NCT06002620](https://clinicaltrials.gov NCT06002620) 1 | Introduction Malnutrition, often driven by multiple determinants including poor diet and inadequate feeding practices (Black et al. 2013), affects a child's growth, health and social interaction (Cooke et al. 2023; Grantham‐McGregor et al. 2007) . About 41% of the global stunted children under 5 years (U5s) old live in Africa (UNICEF; WHO 2021) . In spite of gradual decline in Kenyan stunting rate from 40% in 1993 to 18% in 2022, the rates are still unacceptably high (KNBS, ICF 2022) . Maternal nutritional knowledge gaps such as knowledge on breastfeeding and safe This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‐NonCommercial‐NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2025 The Author(s) . Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 2026; 22:e70156 1 of 15 [https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70156](https://doi.or

FAQs

What interventions were compared in the trial?

The trial used cricket-enriched complementary porridge (±CR) and monthly personalized nutrition education sessions sent to mothers via mobile phone (+ED/−ED).

Who participated and how were infants selected?

284 eligible mother–infant dyads participated, with infants aged 6 months and MUAC > 11.5 cm, recruited from Rwambwa Sub-County Hospital, Siaya County, Kenya.

What was the main finding on linear growth?

A significant difference in length-for-age Z-score (LAZ) was observed between the −CR and +CR groups (Z = −0.28, p = 0.03).

How did nutrition education and illness episodes relate to nutritional outcomes?

Nutrition education improved weight-for-length regardless of the complementary food consumed. Increased illness episodes raised the risk of undernutrition, with higher episode counts associated with greater likelihood of undernutrition/malnutrition.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious