Prevalence of Undernutrition and Anemia in 6–24-Month-Old Children in Rural South India: Assessing the Target Population for a Multiple Biofortified Crops Feeding Trial

OBJECTIVES: To characterize anemia and anthropometry in children in rural South India: 1. Report the prevalence of undernutrition and anemia; 2. Examine associations with demographic, socio-economic, and clinical characteristics; among 6–24-month-old children screened for participation in a randomized controlled feeding trial. METHODS: This cross-sectional assessment included 339 children screened for participation in a randomized controlled feeding trial from March – September 2019. Complete blood counts were performed immediately after blood and anthropometric measurements were collected. Sociodemographic data were collected from mothers. We assessed the outcomes hemoglobin (Hb, g/dL), anemia (Hb