Ready to Use Therapeutic Food in the Rehabilitation of Severely Malnourished Children
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2005-02-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Severe malnutrition is a major cause of child morbidity and mortality in developing countries
especially sub-Saharan Africa. The hospital mortality rate due to severe malnutrition in
developing countries ranges from 20-30%. For the rehabilitation of severely malnourished
children, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a liquid milk-based diet, Formula
100 (F100), which contains 100 kilocalories per 100 milliliters. In Uganda, the
rehabilitation of severely malnourished children is based on High Energy Milk (HEM), which is
reconstituted cows milk with a nutritional composition similar to F100. Recently a semi-solid
ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) with similar composition as F100 or HEM has been
designed. This preparation can be eaten without adding water hence reducing the risk of
bacterial contamination. The preparation can be used at home with minimal supervision.
Hitherto the efficacy of RUTF in the rehabilitation of severely malnourished children in
Uganda has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to determine whether giving daily
RUTF in the rehabilitation of severely malnourished children will result in a higher weight
gain than giving HEM.