Effect of Tailored Nutrition Plan Intervention on Children in Food Insecure Households: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of an individualized dietary intervention in reducing household food insecurity levels and improving growth metrics in Egyptian children aged 5 to 11 years from food-insecure households, excluding those with severe chronic illnesses. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does a 12-week tailored nutrition plan significantly lower household food insecurity levels compared to general nutrition education? Does the tailored nutritional intervention significantly improve the anthropometric growth measures (weight, height, and BMI) and hemoglobin levels of these children? Researchers will compare the intervention group receiving a resource-conscious, tailored nutritional plan to a control group receiving generalized healthy dietary education to see if individualized counseling provides superior protection against severe food insecurity and better promotes linear growth and anemia recovery. Participants will undergo three primary clinic sessions across a 12-week study period: Complete baseline assessments during Session 1, including socioeconomic surveys, the Arab Family Food Security Scale (AFFS), anthropometric measurements, and venous hemoglobin blood draws. Follow either an individualized tailored nutrition plan (focusing on structured meal times and local, budget-friendly substitutions like beans or lentils) or a standard general nutrition education model using visual aids. Attend a final 12-week follow-up session to engage in collaborative healthy habit activities and repeat all primary outcome assessments (AFFS scoring, physical measurements, and hemoglobin verification).