Mung Bean Porridge Supplementation and Child Growth: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Mung beans are locally available, culturally familiar pulses that contribute energy and plant protein as supplementary food; however, controlled evidence regarding their short-term effects on linear and ponderal growth in Indonesian children remains limited. This parallel randomized controlled pretest-posttest trial evaluated the effects of mung bean porridge supplementation on anthropometric outcomes among 70 children aged 12–59 months in Mongeudong Village, Lhokseumawe City, who were allocated equally to an intervention or control group. The intervention group received one ~250-mL serving daily for eight weeks (prepared from 25 g dry mung beans, 50 mL coconut milk, and 15 g sugar; providing ~250–270 kcal and 6–7 g protein), whereas the control group received routine services. Primary (HAZ) and secondary outcomes (body weight, length/height, WAZ, WHZ, and stunting classification transitions) were analyzed using ANCOVA with baseline value adjustments, following an intention-to-treat approach. All 70 participants completed the follow-up. Adjusted mean differences favored the intervention group for body weight (0.48 kg; 95% CI: 0.25–0.71; p < 0.001), length/height (0.45 cm; 95% CI: 0.14–0.76; p = 0.005), HAZ (0.13; 95% CI: 0.01–0.25; p = 0.036), and WAZ (0.16; 95% CI: 0.02–0.30; p = 0.026). The WHZ difference was not statistically significant (0.15; 95% CI: -0.01–0.31; p = 0.068). Among baseline-stunted children, 8 of 17 in the intervention group and 2 of 16 in the control group transitioned to non-stunted status (Fisher’s exact p = 0.057; OR = 6.22; exact 95% CI: 0.89–69.22). In conclusion, mung bean porridge supplementation yields short-term improvements in key anthropometric outcomes, though it does not significantly improve overall stunting classification or guarantee durable recovery.