Outcome of Malnourished Children Admitted in the Nutritional Rehabilitation Home

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• Global rise in malnutrition, particularly undernutrition, poses significant challenges for developing nations.
• Nepal faces a considerable burden of malnutrition, with Madhesh province reporting a 29.3% incidence of chronic malnutrition in children under five.
• This study addresses the critical need to assess malnutrition in children within Nepal's Madhesh province.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent and characteristics of malnutrition among children in Nepal's Madhesh province.
• To analyze the outcomes of nutritional rehabilitation interventions for malnourished children.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional quantitative study involving 409 malnourished children admitted to Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital between July 2018 and July 2022.
• Data analysis included descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test) using SPSS version 2016.
• A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Main Results:

• Of the 409 children, 145 had Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) (SD<-3) and 264 had Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) (-2 to -3SD) upon admission.
• The mean weight gain was 1.14±0.44 kg, with an average length of stay of 19.82±8.73 days.
• Significant differences (p<0.001) were observed in the length of stay and weight gain between SAM and MAM cases, and in relation to the duration of hospitalization.

Conclusions:

• Nutritional rehabilitation interventions are effective in achieving significant weight gain in malnourished children.
• The study highlights the importance of nutritional rehabilitation centers in managing childhood malnutrition.