Adherence to Home Fortification with Micronutrient Powders in Kenyan Pre-School Children: Self-Reporting and Sachet Counts Compared to an Electronic Monitoring Device

In this study, researchers compare sachet count or self-reporting forms to electronic devices for measuring adherence to daily home fortification with micronutrient powders (MNP) and measure the association between each adherence assessment method and change in hemoglobin concentration. To measure MNP use among young Kenyan children, parents were given a medication event monitoring system (MEMS), a self-reporting form, and were also instructed to keep empty sachets. Researchers found that self-reporting and sachet count were associated with over-reporting compared to monitoring using MEMS. When adherence was measured with MEMS, children with high adherence had higher hemoglobin at the end of the intervention compared to those with low adherence. However, this association was not seen when adherence was measured by self-report or sachet count, suggesting assessment by the electronic device is more reliable.