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Predictors of rate of weight gain in malnourished children within a realimentation programme

The rate of weight gain of malnourished children in realimentation programmes varies substantially; however, predictors of variation are infrequently reported. The aim of this study was to assess a set of hypothesized predictors to the rate of weight gain of a sample of children attending a partial day treatment programme in the Dominican Republic. Data were available for 105 consecutive admissions (82% of total) to the programme between July 2004 and June 2006. Mean rate of weight gain, adjusted for initial weight, was 3.8 (SD 4.2) g kg−1 day−1 during the first 28 days of treatment. Rate of weight gain was associated with the amount of calories consumed by the child from the enriched milk-based formula consumed within the clinic. This relationship depended upon the initial degree of wasting and the amount of diarrhoea, such that caloric intake had a greater impact on those with the most wasting and greater amounts of diarrhoea. Other hypothesized variables were not related to rate of weight gain. Further investigation is required to identify other predictors of the variability in weight gain within nutrition treatment programmes with tighter control of possible sources of measurement error.