Table 2.
Comparison of children with SAM initially missed by standard of care NRU clinician referral identified by lay-screeners meeting WHO standard only vs. NCHS reference on the wards
| Lay-screener identified by WHO standard only N = 158 N(%) | Lay-screener identified by NCHS reference N = 210 N(%) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (months) | 0.027 | ||
| 6–11.9 | 70 (44.3) | 65 (31.0) | |
| 12–23.9 | 60 (38.0) | 85 (40.5) | |
| 24–35.9 | 18 (11.4) | 35 (16.7) | |
| 36–60 | 10 (6.3) | 25 (11.9) | |
| Median Age (IQR) | 12.8 (9.6–21.6) | 16.2 (11.1–24.6) | 0.006 |
| Gender | 0.253 | ||
| Male | 87 (55.1) | 103 (49.0) | |
| Female | 71 (44.9) | 107 (51.0) | |
| Edema | |||
| Yes | N/A | 97 (46.2) | |
| No | 158 (100.0) | 113 (53.8) | |
| MUAC in mm | |||
| <110 | N/A | 108 (51.4) | |
| 110 to <115 | 121 (76.7) | 31 (14.8) | <0.001 |
| ≤115 | 121 (76.7) | 139 (66.2) | 0.030 |
| >115 | 37 (23.3) | 71 (33.8) | |
| Median MUAC (IQR) | 115 (110–115) | 108 (100–125) | <0.001 |
| Weight for Height (WFH), n/Na | |||
| NCHS WFH < 70 %b | N/A | 45/113 (39.8) | |
| Median NCHS WFH % (IQR) | 80.4 (75.6–86.6) | 74.1 (66.9–82.7) | <0.001 |
| WHO WFH z-score <−3 SD | 52/158 (32.9) | 71/113 (62.8) | <0.001 |
| Mean WHO WFH z-score (SD) | −2.3 (1.3) | −3.3 (2.1) | <0.001 |
| Diedc | 4 (2.5) | 15 (7.1) | 0.048 |
SAM, severe acute malnutrition; NRU, nutritional rehabilitation unit; WHO, World Health Organization; NCHS, National Center for Health Statistics; IQR, interquartile range; MUAC, mid-upper arm circumference; mm, – millimeters; SD, standard deviation.
aDenominator excludes children with edema.
b% of NCHS median.
cDied during hospitalization.