Examining Response to Treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Children 6–59 Months Old in Afghanistan, Chad, Mali, and Niger (P12-002-19)

Abstract

ObjectivesIdentify the most significant factors affecting the trajectory of recovery from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), as measured by average daily weight gain in each child 6–59 months of age who were diagnosed and treated for SAM and treated, adjusting for covariates including: breastfeeding status, number of children in household, illness, and distance to health center.Hypothesis 1a:Children 6–59 months enrolled in SAM treatment have slower times to recovery and slower weight gain if they are admitted for treatment at a lower anthropometric cut-off admission (weight for height z-score < –4) than children admitted for treatment at a higher anthropometric cut-off (weight for height z-score ≥ –4).Hypothesis 1b: Older children (24–59 months) recover more quickly than younger children (6–23 months) controlling for ration size. MethodsA retrospective panel data analysis on children 6–59 months enrolled in standard outpatient treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) between 2014 and 2016 was conducted. The study period was between September-December 2018. Children were exhaustively sampled. Children with edema, children with implausible z-scores for W/H (<–5 and >5) and H/A (<–6 and >6), children who were referred for inpatient therapeutic feeding to a stabilization center, and children from the same household, except in the case of twins, were eliminated from the analysis. There was one database per country. A total of 1384 children between 6–59 months were included in the analysis. ResultsThe most significant factors affecting the proportional weight gain include age at enrollment (P = 0.001, 95%CI = –0.00—0.00) and Weight for height z-score (WHZ) (P = 0.00, 95%CI = 0.04—0.05) in each child 6–59 months of age who were diagnosed with SAM and treated, adjusting for covariates including: breastfeeding status, number of children in household, illness, and distance to health center. Sex of child did not significantly affect proportional weight gain (P = 0.404, 95%CI = –0.012–0.005). ConclusionsThe existing protocol to treat severe acute malnutrition should be modified to treat younger children and children who are admitted with a lower weight for height z-score due to different vulnerabilities. Funding SourcesThe research was conducted as part of a dissertation at The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Data were obtained from World Vision.