Concurrently wasted and stunted 6-59 months children admitted to the outpatient therapeutic feeding programme in Karamoja, Uganda Prevalence, characteristics, treatment outcomes and response
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PLoS ONE
Abstract
This study assessed the prevalence of concurrently wasted and stunted (WaSt) children,
their characteristics, treatment outcomes and response; and factors associated with time to
recovery among children aged 6–59 months admitted to Outpatient Therapeutic Care
(OTC) in Karamoja, Uganda. We conducted a retrospective cohort study with data from January
2016 to October 2017 for children admitted to nine OTCs in Karamoja. We defined
wasted, stunted and underweight as 2.0 Z-scores below the median per WHO growth standards
and < 12.5 cm for low Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC). WaSt was defined as
concurrently wasted and stunted. Out of 788 eligible children included in the analysis;
48.7% (95% CI; 45.2–52.2) had WaSt. WaSt was common among males; 56.3% (95% CI;
51.3–61.3). Median age was 18 months in WaSt versus 12 months in non-WaSt children (p
< 0.001). All WaSt children were underweight; and more severely wasted than non-WaSt
children. During recovery, WaSt children gained weight more rapidly than non-WaSt children
(2.2g/kg/day vs. 1.7g/kg/day). WaSt children had lower recovery rate (58.0% vs.
65.4%; p = 0.037). The difference in median time of recovery between WaSt and non-WaSt
children (63 days vs. 56 days; p = 0.465) was not significant. Factors associated with time to
recovery were children aged 24–59 months (aHR = 1.30; 95% CI;1.07–1.57;), children with
MUAC 10.5–11.4 cm (aHR = 2.03; 95% CI; 1.55–2.66), MUAC � 11.5 cm at admission
(aHR = 3.31; 95% CI; 2.17–5.02) and living in Moroto (aHR = 3.34; 95% CI; 2.60–4.30) and
Nakapiripirit (aHR = 1.95; 95% CI; 1.51–2.53) districts. The magnitude of children with WaSt
in OTC shows that existing therapeutic feeding protocols could be used to detect and treat
Description
Keywords
Months children, Therapeutic feeding programme, Uganda
Citation
Odei Obeng-Amoako, G. A., Wamani, H., Conkle, J., Aryeetey, R., Nangendo, J., Mupere, E., ... Karamagi, C. A. S. (2020). Concurrently wasted and stunted 6-59 months children admitted to the outpatient therapeutic feeding programme in Karamoja, Uganda: Prevalence, characteristics, treatment outcomes and response. PLoS One, 15(3), [e0230480]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230480