Changes in Nutritional Status and Morbidities Among Children Having Severe Acute Malnutrition Attending a Nutrition Follow-Up Unit in Bangladesh Who Did Not Receive Any Food Supplementation. Issue 3 (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hossain, Md Iqbal; Huq, Sayeeda; Ahmed, Tahmeed
• Is Part Of: Food and nutrition bulletin. Volume 42:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 399
• Page End: 405
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: severe wasting -- severe acute malnutrition -- SAM -- food supplementation; Food -- Periodicals; Nutrition -- Periodicals; Agriculture -- Periodicals; Dietary Proteins -- Periodicals; Food Supply -- Periodicals; Nutrition -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; Food; Nutrition; Periodicals; 613.205
• DOI: 10.1177/03795721211028545
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0379-5721

Abstract

Background: The problem of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among < 5 years old (U-5) children in Bangladesh is awful with higher risk of death or morbidities. However, there is no nationwide program where these children are managed with take-home therapeutic/supplementary food as recommended by World Health Organization. Objective: This study aimed to identify the changes in nutritional status and morbidities over 3 months of U-5 children having severe wasting (ie, SAM) whose parents refused to admit their children in the residential nutrition rehabilitation unit of the Dhaka Hospital of icddr, b (an international health research Institute based in Dhaka, Bangladesh), and instead attended the nutrition follow-up unit (NFU), and thus did not receive any food supplementation during nutritional rehabilitation. Methods: At the NFU, these SAM children on every visit (fortnightly to monthly) received health and nutrition education, multivitamins, zinc and iron supplements, and treatment of illnesses if any. Results: During the study period, a total 180 U-5 SAM children came regularly for NFU visit for at least 3 months, and they comprised our study sample. Their age at first NFU visit (baseline) was 13.4 ± 7.8 months and 46% were female. Over these 3 month follow-up period, the rate of weight gain was 2.2 ± 1.9 g/kg/d, change in mid upper arm circumference was from 105 to 115 mm, and change in weight-for-length or weight-for-height z-score was from −2.70 ± 0.94 to −1.95 ± 1.00. During the prior 14 days to the 4 NFU follow-up visit, 13.6% to 22.8% had common cold and/or cough, and 12.2% to 15.1% had pneumonia. Conclusion: Because the rate of weight gain was far below the expected ∼5 g/kg/d, the NFU visits without food supplementation are insufficient in terms of catchup growth. Thus, additional efforts are required to improve the management of these SAM children for their catchup growth.