New research points to successful prevention of malnutrition in Niger. 

By Dr. Susan Shepherd, Nutrition Coordinator, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), New York, USA     

A recent study in the journal Pediatrics shows how the timing of a nutrition intervention in Niger during the first years of a child’s life, as well as the extended duration of food supplementation with high-quality, balanced food supplements – in amounts as small as 250 kcal/day – can have positive effects on the growth of young children and protect them from episodes of weight loss during the critical hunger gap (most food-insecure months of the year).

The study, Reducing wasting in young children with preventive supplementation: a cohort study in Niger, compared the effects of ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF) and ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF). It was conducted by Epicentre, the research affiliate of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in Maradi, Niger – a region where food security is a chronic concern.

The 1,645 children who received nutritional supplementation were 6 months to 3 years of age, which is widely regarded as the critical window of opportunity when the quality of a child’s diet has a profound, sustained impact on his or her health and physical and mental development. One group received 250 kcal/day of RUSF for 6 months, and the other received 500 kcal/day of RUTF for 4 months.

Just under half of the children participating in this study had received a short-term (3-month) distribution of RUTF (500 kcal/day) the previous year, 2006 (Isanaka et al, JAMA 2009). At the beginning of the second distribution round in 2007 (6 months after the end of the previous one), these children had less wasting and stunting compared to those who received no supplementation. This finding suggests that lasting benefits on children’s growth can result from even short-term distributions of high-quality, calorie- and micronutrient-rich foods like RUTF.

For the 2007 distribution, the duration of supplementation appeared to be more important than the amount of calories provided by the food. Among the children who received both the 2006 and 2007 distributions, those who were supplemented with RUSF fared better and had 50 percent less wasting compared to those who received RUTF.

These two studies by Isanaka et al complement work done in Malawi, where Phuka et al (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2008) showed that daily supplementation with 250 kcal/day of RUSF in children 6-18 months of age improved growth in stunted children significantly better than a fortified corn-soya blend.

Taken as a group, these studies lend credence to the use of balanced, complete food supplements tailored to the nutritional requirements of young children as an effective way to promote healthier growth in the 6-35 month age group and protect these young children from weight loss during the hunger gap.

Although this is a particularly difficult year in Niger and elsewhere in the Sahel requiring expensive, rapid-response programming, every year MSF and others treat hundreds of thousands of malnourished children in this region. These emergencies come as no surprise. The growing evidence of benefit to children who receive high-quality food supplements should compel aid organizations and international donors to make wiser use of resources and develop strategies and interventions that aim to reduce the burden of childhood malnutrition.

“Reducing wasting in young children with preventive supplementation: a cohort study in Niger” by Sheila Isanaka et al.  Pediatrics 2010;126(2):e442-e450

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 at 8:14 pm and is filed under Campaign, Field News, Malnutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.