Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) Based on Local Recipes Are as Efficacious and Have a Higher Acceptability than...

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Global Health
• Pediatric Medicine

Background:

• Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) treatment in Indonesia requires effective, locally sourced ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs).
• Limited data exists on the acceptability and effectiveness of locally produced RUTFs for SAM management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the acceptability and effectiveness of locally produced RUTFs compared to standard RUTFs in Indonesian children with SAM.
• To evaluate weight gain, product consumption, and dropout rates in children receiving different RUTF formulations.

Main Methods:

• An individually randomized controlled trial involving 302 children (6-59 months) with uncomplicated SAM.
• Children received standard RUTF (CON) or one of four locally produced RUTFs (soybean, mungbean, peanut) for 8 weeks.
• Primary outcomes included weight gain and product acceptability; secondary outcomes included consumption and dropout rates.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in mean weight gain was observed across all RUTF groups (p > 0.05).
• Children consumed significantly more local RUTFs (up to 4.5 kg) compared to standard RUTF (2.2 kg, p < 0.05).
• Dropout rates varied (21.3% for MUN2 to 38.3% for CON), with longer time to dropout for the PEA group (33.6 days vs. 19 days for CON, p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Locally produced RUTFs demonstrate comparable effectiveness in weight gain and superior acceptability compared to standard RUTFs for treating SAM in Indonesia.
• The development and implementation of these local RUTFs are recommended to enhance community-based SAM treatment strategies.
• Further research into optimizing local RUTF formulations could improve treatment adherence and outcomes.