Predictors of time to recovery and non-response during outpatient treatment of severe acute malnutrition

Abstract

Background Every year, over 4 million children are treated for severe acute malnutrition with varying program performance. This study sought to explore the predictors of time to recovery from and non-response to outpatient treatment of SAM. Methods Children with weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) Results Fifty-five percent of children recovered and mean time to recovery was eight weeks while 13% ended as non-response to treatment. Independent predictors of longer time to recovery or non-response included low age, being admitted with WHZ Conclusions Both longer time to recovery and higher non-response to treatment seem most strongly associated with illness episodes and missed visits during treatment. This indicates that prevention of illnesses would be key to shortening the treatment duration and that there is a need to seek ways to facilitate adherence.