Effectiveness of a Non-Weight-Based Daily Dosage of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) in Treating Severe Acute Malnutrition in Afghanistan

This study evaluates a modified treatment protocol (MTP) for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Afghanistan, using a fixed daily RUTF dosage (1000 kcal/day) instead of the standard weight-based protocol. The study analyzed data from 2,042 children treated between 2019 and 2021.

Results confirm non-inferiority of the MTP compared to the standard protocol, with recovery rates of 93.3% vs. 90.2% and similar length-of-stay (82.6 vs. 75.6 days). However, the MTP group showed slower weight gain and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) improvement. The study supports using non-weight-based RUTF in resource-limited settings to increase treatment coverage.

Photo Credit: Canva