Table 2 Group comparison analysis

Participants (n)

 Baseline

125

126

127

124

127

 6 months

104

111

103

114

117

 9 months

76

81

77

82

87

Hb concentration (g/dl)

 Baseline

9.8 ± 1.3

9.9 ± 1.2

9.8 ± 1.1

9.9 ± 1.1

9.6 ± 1.2

 6 months

9.9 ± 1.3

9.9 ± 1.3

10.0 ± 1.3

10.4 ± 1.4*^{, Ψ}

10.0 ± 1.1

 9 months

10.3 ± 1.3

10.4 ± 1.2

10.5 ± 1.2

10.5 ± 1.2

10.5 ± 1.2

Anaemia

 Baseline

81.6 %

80.2 %

85.0 %

84.7 %

86.6 %

 6 months

79.8 %

77.5 %

77.7 %

62.3 %*^{, Ψ, †}

81.9 %^¥

 9 months

71.1 %

70.4 %

63.6 %*^{, Ψ}

56.1 %**^{, ΨΨ}

65.5 %*^{, Ψ}

Plasma ferritin (µg/l)

 Baseline

37.7 (18.3–72.4)

36.2 (21.6–66.0)

37.5 (16.9–74.9)

36.7 (18.2–68.4)

53.0 (28.4–115.7)^{†, ¥}

 6 months

60.7 (35.1–114.0)

102.4 (48.3–159.5)**

56.5 (26.9–92.9)^ΨΨ

70.9 (42.5–133.0)*^{, †}

69.1 (41.8–139.7)^{Ψ, ¥}

 9 months

49.6 (26.2–96.0)

66.5 (45.4–117.4)

39.4 (23.6–69.3)^ΨΨ

62.8 (39.2–92.4)^†

62.6 (41.1–107.2)^¥

Iron deficiency

 Baseline

37.4 %

40.0 %

42.1 %

43.9 %

26.7 %^{†, ¥}

 6 months

19.2 %

5.4 %**

27.5 %^ΨΨ

12.3 %^††

8.6 %^††

 9 months

29.3 %

3.7 %***

36.4 % ^ΨΨ

15.8 %^Ψ,††

10.3 %**^{, ††}

Anaemia and iron deficiency

 Baseline

33.3 %

32.8 %

31.7 %

38.2 %

23.6 %^¥

 6 months

15.4 %

3.6 %**

19.6 % ^ΨΨ

4.4 %**,^†††

4.3 %*^,††

 9 months

18.7 %

1.2 %**

26.0 % ^ΨΨ

3.7 %**,^††

3.4 %**^{, ††}

CRP (mg/l)

 Baseline

2.8 (1.0–11.1)

3.4 (1.4–8.7)

4.2 (1.4–12.0)

3.0 (1.1–7.3)

5.9 (1.9–21.3)*^,Ψ,¥

 6 months

5.1 (1.8–18.6)

4.6 (1.2–20.4)

3.6 (1.2–17.3)

3.8 (0.8–17.0)

4.8 (1.5–14.6)*^,Ψ

 9 months

2.6 (1.0–7.3)

4.3 (1.0–13.2)

1.8 (0.5–5.9)

1.8 (0.9–5.5)

3.2 (1.3–14.8)

AGP (g/l)

 Baseline

1.12 (0.90–1.40)

1.27 (1.01–1.54)

1.22 (0.96–1.62)

1.16 (0.92–1.51)

1.26 (0.96–1.65)

 6 months

1.13 (0.88–1.41)

1.25 (0.92–1.54)

1.23 (0.80–1.55)

1.04 (0.81–1.44)^†

1.10 (0.85–1.40)

 9 months

1.07 (0.78–1.44)

1.13 (0.85–1.36)

1.10 (0.88–1.35)

1.02 (0.79–1.23)*,^††

1.06 (0.79–1.28)

Inflammation

 Baseline

65.8 %

76.8 %

76.2 %

73.2 %

76.4 %

 6 months

72.1 %

74.8 %

69.6 %

57.0 %^Ψ,††

65.5 %

 9 months

57.3 %

64.2 %

63.6 %

56.1 %^††

57.5 %

Plasmodium prevalence

 Baseline

62.1 %

57.7 %

61.4 %

53.3 %

66.1 %

 6 months

62.5 %

55.0 %

44.7 %*

45.6 %*

64.7 %^¥,†

 9 months

44.7 %

46.9 %

35.1 %^Ψ

34.1 %^Ψ

47.1 %

P. falciparum parasitaemia (parasites/µl blood)

 Baseline

1200 (208–5200)

600 (128–3400)

2240 (880–6920)

688 (240–4000)

2140 (400–7500)*^,¥

 6 months

4160 (1200–10,480)

1880 (720–6360)

4400 (256–17,080)

1820 (480–11,200)

2720 (640–9040)

 9 months

2740 (1080–14,640)

2740 (840–8040)

4520 (440–20,320)

1920 (240–4080)^{Ψ, †}

4800 (960–9560)^Ψ