Effectiveness of millet based supplementary nutrition on the nutrition status of preschool children aged 3 years to 6 years attending Anganwadi centres under the Integrated Child Development Project in the rural population in Nagpur District

This study is a community-based pragmatic cluster trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of millet-based supplementary nutrition on the nutritional status and developmental outcomes of preschool children aged 3 to 6 years attending Anganwadi centres under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in rural areas of Nagpur district, Maharashtra. A total of 800 children will be enrolled from 40 Anganwadi centres, with 20 centres each allocated to the intervention and control arms. Children in the intervention arm will receive millet-based supplementary food products in addition to routine ICDS nutrition for six months, while the control arm will continue to receive standard ICDS supplementary nutrition alone. Outcomes will be assessed using anthropometric indicators (weight, height, MUAC, weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-height z-scores) and developmental milestones using a standardized pediatric development screening tool at baseline and post-intervention. The study aims to generate evidence on the role of locally available, nutrient-dense millet-based foods in improving child nutrition and development in rural settings.