Comparison of Outcomes Between Assigned Treatment Food for Ghanaian Children With Severe Acute Malnutrition and Moderate Acute Malnutrition
| Outcome | Assigned A-RUTF | Assigned S-RUTF | P Valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| All study participants | n=642 | n=628 | |
| Defaulted,b No. (%) | 116 (18.1) | 68 (10.8) | <.001 |
| Died, No. (%) | 1 (0.2) | 4 (0.6) | .21 |
| Recovered, No. (%) | 516 (80.4) | 554 (88.2) | <.001 |
| Remained malnourished, No. (%) | 9 (1.4) | 2 (0.3) | .06 |
| Rate of weight gain,c g/kg/d, mean (SD) | 1.88 (1.8) | 2.04 (2.0) | .31 |
| Rate of MUAC gain,c mm/d, mean (SD) | 0.16 (0.2) | 0.18 (0.2) | .04 |
| Participants with SAM | n=199 | n=202 | |
| Defaulted,b No. (%) | 60 (30.1) | 41 (20.3) | .03 |
| Died, No. (%) | 1 (0.5) | 3 (1.5) | .62 |
| Recovered, No. (%) | 130 (65.3) | 156 (77.2) | .01 |
| Remained malnourished, No. (%) | 8 (4.0) | 2 (1.0) | .06 |
| Rate of weight gain,c g/kg/d, mean (SD) | 2.40 (2.4) | 2.90 (2.6) | .04 |
| Rate of MUAC gain,c mm/d, mean (SD) | 0.20 (0.2) | 0.25 (0.2) | .047 |
| Participants with MAM | n=443 | n=426 | |
| Defaulted,b No. (%) | 56 (12.6) | 27 (6.3) | .002 |
| Died, No. (%) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.2) | >.99 |
| Recovered, No. (%) | 386 (87.1) | 398 (93.4) | .003 |
| Remained malnourished, No. (%) | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0) | >.99 |
| Rate of weight gain,c g/kg/d, mean (SD) | 1.66 (1.5) | 1.61 (1.5) | .62 |
| Rate of MUAC gain,c mm/d, mean (SD) | 0.13 (0.2) | 0.14 (0.2) | .29 |
Abbreviations: A-RUTF, alternative ready-to-use therapeutic food; MAM, moderate acute malnutrition; MUAC, mid-upper arm circumference; SAM, severe acute malnutrition; S-RUTF, standard ready-to-use therapeutic food.
↵a Statistical comparisons made using Student's t test for continuous parameters and Fisher's exact test for categorical parameters.
↵b Defaulters were treated as unrecovered in the calculation of recovery rates.
↵c Calculated for the first 4 weeks of treatment.