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Table 1 Comparison of baseline characteristics of the children by groups.
| Placebo (N = 271) | Zinc (N = 264) | Zinc+Copper (N = 273) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age [months, mean (SD)] | 18.01 (11) | 17.78 (11.6) | 17.80 (10.8) |
| Age categories [N , (%)] | |||
| ≤ 12 months | 102 (37.6) | 119 (45.1) | 111 (40.7) |
| 13 to 24 months | 119 (43.9) | 93 (35.2) | 105 (38.5) |
| > 24 months | 50 (18.5) | 52 (19.7) | 57 (20.9) |
| Male gender [N , (%)] | 168 (62) | 149 (56.4) | 160 (58.6) |
| Mean number of children in family under 5 years | 1.61 (0.8) | 1.73 (0.8) | 1.72 (0.8) |
| Mother's education [schooling years, mean (SD)] | 6.72 (4.3) | 7.46 (4.1) | 6.70 (4.3) |
| Immunization complete to date [N , (%)] | 178 (65.7) | 190 (72) | 181 (66.3) |
| Any breastfeeding [N , (%)] | 161 (59.1) | 142 (53.8) | 150 (55) |
| Duration of illness (hours) | 39.41 (22.2) | 42.57 (26.9) | 42.98 (27.7) |
| Duration of diarrhea (hours) | 35.03 (20.5) | 35.80 (20.6) | 35.28 (20.3) |
| Duration of vomiting (hours) | 20.92 (21) | 20.19 (21.4) | 19.93 (19.9) |
| Duration of fever (hours) | 23.96 (24.2) | 25.39 (26.3) | 24.75 (29) |
| Dehydration status [N , (%)] | |||
| None | 200 (73.8) | 202 (76.5) | 232 (85) |
| Some | 67 (24.7) | 57 (21.6) | 32 (11.7) |
| Severe | 4 (1.5) | 5 (1.9) | 9 (3.3) |
| Dysentery [N , (%)] | 19 (7.0) | 27 (10.0) | 32 (11.7) |
| Received ORS [N , (%)] | 122 (45.0) | 129 (48.9) | 104 (38.1) |
| Received any other medications [N , (%)] | 127 (46.9) | 122 (46.2) | 116 (42.4) |
| Weight-for-age Z -score [mean (SD)] | -2.14 (1.2) | -2.07 (1.2) | -2.17 (1.2) |
| Weight-for-age Z -score < -2 [N , (%)] | 148 (54.6) | 133 (50.4) | 142 (52) |
| Weight-for-height Z -score < -2 [N , (%)] | 145 (53.5) | 138 (52.3) | 148 (54.2) |
| Height-for-age Z -score < -2 [N , (%)] | 91 (33.6) | 78 (29.6) | 96 (35.2) |
| Household wealth index [mean (SD)] | 0.01 (1.1) | 0.07 (1) | --0.08 (0.9) |
| Water safety score [mean (SD)] | 1.78 (0.9) | 1.74 (0.9) | 1.90 (1) |
| Hand washing score [mean (SD)] | 1.24 (1) | 1.20 (1) | 1.25 (1.1) |
| Serum zinc [μg/dl, mean (SD)] | 76.1 (30.2) | 71.4 (37.9) | 66.1 (28.2) |
| Serum zinc ≤ 60 μg/dl [N , (%)] | 86 (31.7) | 116 (43.9) | 135 (49.5) |
| Serum Copper [μg/dl, mean (SD)] | 122.4 (34.4) | 124.3 (39.7) | 123.9 (34.8) |
| Hemoglobin % [g/dl, mean (SD)] | 9.60 (1.9) | 9.89 (1.7) | 9.55 (1.9) |
