Abstract:
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition among children admitted
with acute diarrhoea disease at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and to establish
the effect of malnutrition on duration of hospital stay.
Design: Prospective observational study.
Setting: Paediatric wards of Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya
Subjects: A total of 191 children aged 6 and 59 months admitted with acute diarrhoea
disease, without chronic co-morbidities or visible severe malnutrition, were
systematically enrolled into the study between November 2011 and March 2012.
Outcome Measures: Nutritional status based on WHO WHZ scores taken at admission
and duration of hospital stay.
Results: The mean age was 13.2 months with a male to female sex ratio of 1.16:1. Of
all the children seen with acute diarrhoeal diseases, 43.9% had acute malnutrition (<-2
WHZ score), with 12% being severely malnourished (<-3 Z score). Average duration
of hospital stay was 3.36 (SD=1.54) days. Among those with malnutrition the average
duration of stay was 3.39 (SD=1.48) days while for those without malnutrition it was
3.21(SD=1.20) days, which was not statistically different. No death was reported. WHO
weight for Height Z scores picked12% of severe form of malnutrition missed out by
Welcome Trust classification (weight for age).
Conclusion: Routine anthrometry including weight for height identifies more children
with malnutrition in acute diarrhoeal diseases. Presence of malnutrition did not affect
duration of hospital stay
