(introductory text...)
REYNALDO MATRORELL,*3
JEAN-PIERRE HABICHT† AND JUAN A. RIVERA‡
*Departament Of International Health, The Rollins
School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322; † Division
of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-6301; and ‡
Centro de Investigacines de Salud Pública Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública,
62508 Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
¹Presented in the symposium on Nutrition in Early
Childhood and its Long-Term Functional Significance, FASEB, April 6, 1992,
Anaheim, CA. Published as a supplement to the Journal of Nutrition. Guest
editors for this supplemental publication were Reynaldo Martorell, The Rollins
School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, and Nevin Scrimshaw,
The United Nations University, Boston, MA.
² Supported by National Institute of Health grant HD-22440.
³ To whom correspondence should be addressed: Department of
International Health, The Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University,
1518 Clifton Rd. N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30322.
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ABSTRACT
This is an overview of the design and methods of the INCAP longitudinal study
(1969-77) and its follow-up study (1988-89). The first study had the objective
of assessing the effects of intrauterine and preschool malnutrition on growth
and mental development. To achieve this, food supplements were provided to
pregnant women and young children residing in four Cuatemalan villages. Two
villages were given a high-protein, high-energy drink and two were provided a
no-protein, low-energy drink. Both supplements contained vitamins and minerals.
Longitudinal information was collected during the first seven years of life on
physical growth, mental development, attendance and consumption of supplement,
home diet, morbidity and on characteristics of the family. Health and nutrition
data on mothers also were collected. The INCAP follow-up study was a
cross-sectional evaluation of former participants of the first study and was
carried out when the subjects were 11-27 y old. The hypothesis of the INCAP
follow-up study was that improved nutrition in early childhood leads to enhanced
human capital formation in adolescents and adults. Data were collected on
physical growth and body composition, maturation, work capacity, intellectual
performance and school achievement. J. Nutr. 125: 1027S-1041S, 1995.
INDEXING KEY WORDS:
· malnutrition
·
supplementation
· field methods
· growth and
development
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The INCAP longitudinal study (1969-1977) continues to be one of
the richest sources of information about the importance of nutrition for growth
and development in children from developing countries. One of two key objectives
of this paper is to provide an overview of the objectives, design and methods of
this study, drawing heavily on a review by Habicht and Martorell (1992). In
1988-89, the children of the study were revisited when they were adolescents and
young adults in what has come to be known as the "INCAP follow-up
study". The second objective is to review the characteristics of the
follow-up study, this time using material presented in Martorell and Rivera
(1992) and in Rivera, Martorell and Castro
(1992.).
