|
The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition
icddr,b
ISSN: 1606-0997 EISSN: 1606-0997
Vol. 23, No. 4, 2005, pp. 351-357
|
Bioline Code: hn05047
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
|
|
The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 4, 2005, pp. 351-357
en |
Supplemental Feeding with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food in Malawian Children at Risk of Malnutrition
Patel, Monica P.; Sandige, Heidi L.; Ndekha, Macdonald J.; Briend, André; Ashorn, Per & Manary, Mark J.
Abstract
The study was a controlled, comparative clinical effectiveness trial of two supplementary feeding regimens in children at risk of malnutrition from seven centres in rural Malawi. Being at risk of malnutrition was defined as weight-for-height <85%, but >80% of the international standard. A stepped-wedge design with systematic allocation was used for assigning children to receive either ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) (n=331) or micronutrient-fortified corn/soy-blend (n=41) for up to eight weeks. The primary outcomes were recovery, defined as weight-for-height >90%, and the rate of weight gain. Children receiving RUTF were more likely to recover (58% vs 22%; difference 36%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 20-52) and had greater rates of weight gain (3.1 g/kg.d vs 1.4 g/kg.d; difference 1.7; 95% CI 0.8-2.6) than children receiving corn/soy-blend. The results of this preliminary work suggest that supplementary feeding with RUTF promotes better growth in children at risk of malnutrition than the standard fortified cereal/legume-blended food.
Keywords
Food supplementation; Infant food; Food, Fortified; Infant nutrition;Infant nutrition disorders; Child nutrition; Child nutrition disorders; Infant growth; Child growth; Risk factors;Comparative studies; Malawi
|
|
© Copyright 2005 - ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research Alternative site location: http://www.jhpn.net
|
|