Table 1

Baseline and endline characteristics of the Ghana trial participants

BaselineEndline
Trial participants with a geocoded residence (n)
Males (%)
Age at enrolment (months), mean (SD)*
Serum ferritin (µg/L), geometric mean (SD)
Parasite density (count/µL), geometric mean (SD)
C-reactive protein (mg/L), mean (SD)
1943
992 (51.1)
19.2 (8.5)
35.1 (3.65)
3003.0 (5.35)
3.34 (4.96)
1780
900 (50.5)
19.3 (8.5)
73.9 (3.58)
4160.4 (6.30)
3.86 (5.10)
Infection status
Inflammation without parasitaemia†, n (%)
Inflammation and/or parasitaemia‡, n (%)
Parasitaemia with fever§¶ n (%)
All parasitaemia**, n (%)
272 (14.0)
719 (37.0)
150 (7.72)
447 (23.0)
258 (14.5)
741 (41.6)
555 (28.6)
483 (27.1)
Anthropometric status††
Weight-for-length z-score, mean (SD)
Length-for-age z-score, mean (SD)
−0.63 (0.97)
−0.81 (1.21)
−0.62 (0.97)
−0.80 (1.29)
Maternal Education, n (%)‡‡
None
Any
586 (33.5)
1166 (66.5)
543 (33.0)
1105 (67.0)
Household Asset Score, n (%)§§
Low
High
900 (49.0)
938 (51.0)
817 (47.7)
897 (52.3)
  • *Measured at baseline only.

  • Inflammation without parasitaemia (n=1780) = CRP >5 mg/L without malaria parasitaemia.

  • Inflammation and/or parasitaemia (n=1780) = CRP >5 mg/L and/or any malaria parasitaemia.

  • § Parasitaemia with fever (n=1939) = any malaria parasitaemia with concurrent fever (axillary temperature >37.5°C) or history of reported fever (within 48 hours).

  • ¶Endline value represents the period prevalence for 1939 participants.

  • **All parasitaemia (n=1780) = any malaria parasitaemia (with/without fever).

  • Measured at baseline; z-scores estimated using the WHO Child Growth Standards.23

  • ‡‡Measured at baseline only; total n=1752 (74 respondents were not mothers, 117 missing due to incomplete surveys).

  • §§Measured at baseline only; Low= below median, High = above median; reduced sample size (approximately 1825) due to incomplete surveys and ‘unknown’ responses.

  • CRP, C-reactive protein.