Macronutrients were within the recommended levels by DRIs, except for proteins, which exceeded nearly 50% of the recommendations. Fibers accounted for 1/3 of those proposed for the age range. The incidence of DD in see more the test group was 14.7% (n = 11), whereas in the control group it was 19.1% (n = 13).

Descriptively, the test group showed a lower risk of developing DD when compared to controls, but this finding was not statistically significant (RR [95% CI] = 0.77 [0.37 to 1.6], p = 0.5088). The RRR was 23.3%. Variable adjustment (gender, age range, and total consumption of sprinkles) was made using the Poisson regression model (Table 4); none of them acted as confounders for the association with the test group. The incidence of DD, as well as the age range, was not an interaction variable (p = 0.4219). There was, however, a lower risk of developing DD in those older than 24 months, regardless 5-Fluoracil in vivo of the group (RR [95% CI] = 0.41 [0.157 to 0.94], p = 0.045). Regarding the duration of episodes, it was observed that most participants had only one day of DD in both groups; in the test group, six days was the maximum duration (n = 1), and in the control group, five (n = 1). There was no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.846). ARI had high incidence in both groups, 60% (n = 45) in the test and 48.5% (n = 33) in the control group;

the test group showed a greater risk of having the disease, but without statistical significance (RR [95% CI] = 1.24 [0.91 to 1.68], p = 0.1825). The Poisson regression model was used to adjust variables for ARI (Table 4), which did not identify any confounders for the association between the test group and the incidence of ARI. The age range was not shown to be an interaction variable (p = 0.482). However, unlike what was observed for DD, there was a lower risk ifoxetine of developing ARI in children younger than 24 months, regardless of the group (RR [95% CI] = 0.65 [0.48 to 0.89], p = 0.007). Sprinkle acceptance was evaluated through the consumption at the daycare. The mean percentage of days on which the test and control groups consumed the entire contents

of the sachets was 95.72% (SD = 4.9) and 96.4% (SD = 6.2), respectively. Partial acceptance was 2.5% (SD = 3.4) for the test and 1.5% (SD = 2.5) for the control group. Over several years, researchers have been making efforts aimed at reducing the high rates of morbidity and mortality caused by ARI and DD. In this scenario, some studies have been published showing the positive results obtained with zinc supplementation in the treatment and prevention of these diseases.11 and 14 Despite the scientific evidence, the present study results showed no statistically significant differences regarding supplementation. Concerning the nutritional status, improvement was observed in mean z-scores of weight indicators in both groups.