Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #352761
Title: Effect of a package of health and nutrition services on sustained recovery in children after moderate acute malnutrition and factors related to sustaining recovery: A cluster-randomized trial

Author
item STOBAUGH, HEATHER - Tufts University
item BOLLINGER, LUCY - Washington University
item ADAMS, SARA - Washington University
item CROCKER, AUDREY - Washington University
item GRISE, JENNIFER - Washington University
item KENNEDY, JULIE - Washington University
item THAKWALAKWA, CHRISSIE - University Of Malawi
item MALETA, KENNETH - University Of Malawi
item DIETZEN, DENNIS - Washington University
item MANARY, MARK - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item TREHAN, INDI - Washington University

Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2017
Publication Date: 6/14/2017
Citation: Stobaugh, H.C., Bollinger, L.B., Adams, S.E., Crocker, A.H., Grise, J.B., Kennedy, J.A., Thakwalakwa, C., Maleta, K.M., Dietzen, D.J., Manary, M.J., Trehan, I. 2017. Effect of a package of health and nutrition services on sustained recovery in children after moderate acute malnutrition and factors related to sustaining recovery: A cluster-randomized trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 106(2):657-666. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.116.149799.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.116.149799

Interpretive Summary: Children who recover from moderate malnutrition (MAM) have a high chance of becoming malnourished again within the year of recovery. In this study, children who recovered from MAM in a feeding program were given a health package containing nutrient supplements, deworming and malaria medication, and a bed net. This package did not decrease a child’s chance of becoming malnourished again compared to those who did not receive the package, and therefore did not sustain recovery.

Technical Abstract: Children who recover from moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) have high rates of relapse in the year after nutritional recovery. Interventions to decrease these adverse outcomes are needed to maximize the overall effectiveness of supplemental feeding programs (SFPs). We evaluated the effectiveness of a package of health and nutrition interventions on improving the proportion of children who sustained recovery for 1 y after MAM treatment. We further explored factors related to sustained recovery. We conducted a cluster-randomized clinical effectiveness trial involving rural Malawian children aged 6-62 mo who were enrolled on discharge from an SFP for MAM. We enrolled 718 children at 10 control sites and 769 children at 11 intervention sites. In addition to routine health and nutrition counseling, the intervention group received a package of health and nutrition interventions that consisted of a lipid nutrient supplement, deworming medication, zinc supplementation, a bed net, and malaria chemoprophylaxis. A survival analysis was used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention as well as to identify factors associated with sustained recovery. Of 1383 children who returned for the full 12-mo follow-up period, 407 children (56%) and 347 children (53%) sustained recovery in the intervention and control groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in relapse-free survival curves between the treatment and control groups (P = 0.380; log-rank test). The risk factors for relapse or death after initial recovery were a smaller midupper arm circumference on SFP admission (P = 0.01) and discharge (P < 0.001), a lower weight-for-height z score on discharge (P < 0.01), and the receipt of ready-to-use supplementary food as opposed to ready-to-use therapeutic food during treatment (P < 0.05). The provision of a package of health and nutrition services in addition to traditional SFP treatment has no significant effect on improving sustained recovery in children after treatment of MAM.