@article{fdi:010088782,
  title = {{H}ow age and sex affect treatment outcomes for children with severe malnutrition : a multi-country secondary data analysis},
  author = {{T}hurstans, {S}. and {O}pondo, {C}. and {B}ailey, {J}. and {S}tobaugh, {H}. and {L}oddo, {F}. and {W}rottesley, {S}. {V}. and {S}eal, {A}. and {M}yatt, {M}. and {B}riend, {A}ndr{\'e} and {G}arenne, {M}ichel and {M}ertens, {A}. and {W}ells, {J}. and {S}ear, {R}. and {K}erac, {M}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A}ge and sex influence the risk of childhood wasting. {W}e aimed to determine if wasting treatment outcomes differ by age and sex in children under 5 years, enroled in therapeutic and supplementary feeding programmes. {U}tilising data from stage 1 of the {C}om{PAS} trial, we used logistic regression to assess the association between age, sex and wasting treatment outcomes (recovery, death, default, non-response, and transfer), modelling the likelihood of recovery versus all other outcomes. {W}e used linear regression to calculate differences in mean length of stay ({LOS}) and mean daily weight gain by age and sex. {D}ata from 6929 children from {K}enya, {C}had, {Y}emen and {S}outh {S}udan was analysed. {G}irls in therapeutic feeding programmes were less likely to recover than boys (pooled odds ratio [{OR}]: 0.84, 95% confidence interval [{CI}]: 0.72-0.97, p = 0.018). {T}his association was statistically significant in {C}had ({OR}: 0.61, 95% {CI}: 0.39-0.95, p = 0.030) and {Y}emen ({OR}: 0.47, 95% {CI}: 0.27-0.81, p = 0.006), but not in {K}enya and {S}outh {S}udan. {M}ultinomial analysis, however, showed no difference in recovery between sexes. {T}here was no difference between sexes for {LOS}, but older children (24-59 months) had a shorter mean {LOS} than younger children (6-23 months). {M}ean daily weight gain was consistently lower in boys compared with girls. {W}e found few differences in wasting treatment outcomes by sex and age. {T}he results do not indicate a need to change current programme inclusion requirements or treatment protocols on the basis of sex or age, but future research in other settings should continue to investigate the aetiology of differences in recovery and implications for treatment protocols. {T}here are few differences in recovery outcomes for wasting treatment by age and sex.{T}hough differences are small, mean daily weight gain (g/kg/day) appears to be significantly lower in boys than girls. {L}ikewise, though differences are small, younger children (6-23 months) often have a significantly longer mean length of stay compared with older children (24-59 months).{T}he strength of our evidence does not indicate the need to change current inclusion criteria for wasting treatment programmes on the basis of age and sex but does suggest the need for further research to understand the effects of different confounders on treatment outcomes.},
  keywords = {malnutrition ; sex ; treatment ; undernutrition ; wasting},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{M}aternal and {C}hild {N}utrition},
  volume = {[{E}arly access]},
  numero = {},
  pages = {[14 ]},
  ISSN = {1740-8695},
  year = {2023},
  DOI = {10.1111/mcn.13596},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010088782},
}