TRANSFERRED ARTICLE The effect of egg supplementation on growth parameters in children participating in a school feeding program in rural Uganda: a pilot study Jamie I. Baum a , Jefferson D. Miller b and Brianna L. Gaines a a Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA; b Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Technology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA ABSTRACT Background: School feeding programs have gained popularity in developing countries . Eggs are an inexpensive source of micronutrients and high-quality protein. Therefore, the objective of this study was to gain preliminary data regarding the impact of egg supple- mentation on growth in primary school students participating in a school feeding program in rural Uganda. Methods: Children (ages 6–9; n = 241) were recruited from three different schools located throughout the Kitgum District of Uganda. All participants in the same school received the same dietary intervention: control (no eggs (0 eggs); n = 56), one egg five days per week (1 egg; n = 89), or two eggs five days per week (2 eggs; n = 96). Height, weight, tricep skinfold thickness (TSF), and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were measured monthly over 6 months. Results: Following six months of egg supplementation, participants receiving 2 eggs had a greater increase in height and weight compared to the 0 eggs and 1 egg groups (P < 0.05). In addition, participants receiving 1 egg and 2 eggs had a significantly higher (P < 0.05) increase in MUAC at six months compared to 0 eggs. Conclusion: These results suggest that supplementation with eggs can improve parameters of growth in school-aged children participating in school feeding programs in rural Uganda. Abbreviations: MUAC: Mid-Upper Arm Circumference; TSF: Tricep Skinfold Thickness ARTICLE HISTORY Received 22 December 2016 Accepted 7 May 2017 KEYWORDS Children; Uganda; eggs; growth; mid-upper arm circumference; school feeding program; human nutrition Background Although protein-energy malnutrition is a concern for many children in developing countries, micronutrient malnutrition has been recognized as a more widespread problem [1]. This prevalence of malnutrition is linked to poverty, poor diet quality, and little or no intake of animal- source foods [2, 3]. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa have a high prevalence of children that are underweight, wasting, and stunting [4, 5]. In Uganda, the prevalence of malnutri- tion remains highest among children younger than five years of age [4, 5] and the nutrition status of children over the age of five in Uganda remains relatively unknown. School feeding programs are gaining popularity in developing countries such as Uganda [6]. Such programs aim to reduce the short-term hunger that negatively impacts concentration span and learning capacity of school children [6]. A recent study found that early stage primary school children attending a Malawian school feed- ing program for one year had improved catch-up growth in lean muscle mass and improved cognitive outcomes compared to children attending a non-school feeding pro- gram school [7]. Eggs are an inexpensive source of 13 essential micronutrients (i.e. choline, biotin, riboflavin, vita- min B12, pantothenic acid, vitamin A, folate, vitamin E, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phos- phorus, potassium, and zinc), and an excellent source of high-quality protein [8,9], which makes them an ideal candidate for implementation into a school feeding program. Therefore, the objective of this study was to gain preliminary data regarding the impact of egg supplementation five days per week on growth in primary school students participating in a school feeding program in rural Uganda. Growth outcomes are a relatively easy, non-invasive measure to evaluate the effects of eggs on nutrition status, which would support future studies on the effects of eggs on cognitive performance. We hypothesized that egg supplementation with eggs will improve markers of growth. CONTACT Jamie I. Baum baum@uark.edu Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, 2650 North Young Avenue, Fayetteville, AR, 72704, USA FOOD & NUTRITION RESEARCH, 2017 VOL. 61, 1330097 https://doi.org/10.1080/16546628.2017.1330097 © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.