The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 127 No. 7 July 1997, pp. 1333-1338
Copyright ©1997 by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences

Zinc Supplementation Affects the Activity Patterns of Rural Guatemalan Infants

Manuscript received 28 December 1995. Initial reviews completed 4 March 1996. Revision accepted 7 March 1997.

Margaret E. Bentley, Laura E. Caulfield, Malathi Ram, Maria Claudia Santizo^*, Elena Hurtado^*, Juan A. Rivera, Marie T. Ruel^**, and Kenneth H. Brown

The Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Center for Human Nutrition, Baltimore, MD 21205; ^* INCAP/PAHO, Guatemala City, 11 Guatemala, C.A.;  National Institute of Public Health, 62508 Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico; ^** International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C. 20036-3006 and  Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8669

Zinc deficiency has been associated with growth deficits, reduced dietary intake and appetite, and has been hypothesized to result in reduced activity. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined whether 10 mg of oral zinc as zinc sulfate, given daily for up to 7 mo, affected activity patterns of 85 Guatemalan infants recruited at 6-9 mo of age. Infant activity was assessed by time sampling-observation method at 10-min intervals during a 12-h data collection period, at base line, 3 and 7 mo follow-up. Motor development and the percentage of time infants were observed in various positions (being carried, lying down, sitting, crawling, standing or walking) and engaged in various activities (eating, sleeping, resting, crying/whining or playing) were compared by treatment group. No differences in motor development were observed by treatment group. However, at follow-up 2 (after 7 mo of supplementation), zinc-supplemented infants were significantly more frequently observed sitting up compared with lying down, and were playing during 4.18 ± 1.95% (P < 0.05) more observations than unsupplemented infants. They were also somewhat less likely to be observed crying or whining (P < 0.10) compared with those receiving the placebo. These effects are independent of other factors including infant age, motor development, sex, maternal education, family socioeconomic status and nutritional status at base line. Further research must be conducted to determine the long-term developmental importance of these differences in activity patterns associated with zinc supplementation in this setting.

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