Table 1 Summary of the study outcome measures and methods
Variables | Methods |
|---|---|
Blood analysisa | |
 25(OH)D | Serum: Siemens ADVIA Centaur Vitamin D Total assay |
 RBC fatty acids | Erythrocytes: Shimadzu GC-17A flame-ionisation gas chromatography (Rydalmere, NSW, Australia) |
 Calcium | Serum: Siemens Dimension Vista® System. CA Flex® reagent cartridge, Cat. No. K1023 |
 Albumin | Serum: Siemens Dimension Vista® System. ALB Flex® reagent cartridge, Cat. No. K1013 |
 Iron studies | Ferritin, serum: Siemens Dimension Vista® System. FERR Flex® reagent cartridge, Cat. No. K6440 |
Iron, serum: Siemens Dimension Vista® System. IRON Flex® reagent cartridge, Cat. No. K3085 | |
Total iron binding capacity, serum: Siemens Dimension Vista® System. TIBC Flex® reagent cartridge, Cat. No. K3084 | |
 Vitamin B12 | Serum: Siemens Dimension Vista® System. B12 Flex® reagent cartridge, Cat. No. K6442 |
 Folate | Serum: Siemens Dimension Vista® System. FOL Flex® reagent cartridge, Cat. No. K6444 |
 Full blood count | Whole blood: Sysmex XE-5000™ Automated Haematology System |
 Vitamin A | Plasma:, Shimadzu Prominence Modular HPLC System. Cat. No. LC-20A. The assay was developed at Massey University |
Questionnaires | |
 Primary outcome measures | |
  Sociocommunicative functioning | Social Responsiveness Scale-second edition (SRS-2) [73]. Completed by caregiver at Massey University |
  Sensory problems | Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) [75]. Completed by caregiver at Massey University |
  Problem behaviours | Aberrant Behaviour Checklist-Community (ABC-C) [78]. Completed by caregiver at Massey University |
 Secondary outcome measure | |
  Gastrointestinal symptoms | A questionnaire and diaries completed by caregiver |
 Other measures | |
  Sociodemographics | Completed by caregiver |
  Medical history | Completed by caregiver |
  Dietary assessments | Dietary Index Children’s Eating (DICE). Completed by caregiver |
Feeding issues and mealtime behaviours (Behavioural Paediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale, BPFAS). Completed by caregiver | |
Four-day estimated food diary. Completed by caregiver. Analysed using FoodWorks 2007 (Xyris Software) | |
Nutritional supplements and special dietary regimens. Completed by caregiver | |
  Sun exposure and skin colour | Completed by caregiver |
  Medication/supplement use/incidence of adverse events and supplement compliance | Diary completed by caregiver |
  Anthropometry | Weight: Tanita electronic scale; Height: Stadiometre; measured by researcher at Massey University |