Benefits and risks of Iron interventions in children (BRISC): protocol for a three-arm parallel-group randomised controlled field trial in Bangladesh

INTRODUCTION: Anaemia is a major global health problem affecting about 43% of preschool children globally and 60% of 6-24-month-old children in rural Bangladesh, half of which is attributed to iron deficiency (ID). Although WHO recommends universal supplementation with iron or home fortification with iron-containing multiple micronutrient powders (MMPs) to children under 2 years, evidence for benefits of these interventions on childhood development (a key rationale for these interventions) and harms (especially infection) remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the impact of iron or MMPs supplementation compared with placebo on (a) children's development, (b) growth, (c) morbidity from infections and (d) haematological and iron indices. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This study is a three-arm, blinded, double-dummy, parallel-group, placebo-controlled superiority trial using…