Child wasting affects an estimated 42 million children at any given time, but over a year, between 240 and 295 million episodes of wasting occur. Wasting, including severe wasting, is associated with approximately 850,000 child deaths annually and have livelong consequences for child health and development. Although effective outpatient treatment protocols exist, coverage remains below 30% in many settings. Even in the case of successful treatment children face a high risk of relapse in the months following their recovery.
According to the most recent WHO guideline on the prevention and management of child wasting, the evidence on what works to prevent child wasting and post-treatment relapse is scant.
This webinar presents findings from the Integrated Research on Acute Malnutrition (IRAM) study conducted in Mali, examining how integrated approaches to prevention and treatment can reduce the burden of child wasting. The second part of the webinar presents results from a secondary analysis of two large longitudinal cluster-randomized controlled trials conducted in Burkina Faso and Mali, which investigated risk factors for post-treatment relapse and assessed the impact of preventive interventions aimed at reducing relapse after recovery from wasting.
This webinar is supported by the Edesia Nutrition Innovation Fund and the Eleanor Crook Foundation.
Speakers
- Rebecca Brander, Research Fellow, Nutrition, Diets, and Health unit, IFPRI
- Lieven Huybregts, Senior Research Fellow, Nutrition, Diets, and Health unit, IFPRI
Panel members
- Djeneba Coulibaly, Senior Researcher, National Institute of Public Health, Bamako Mali
- Cesaire Ouedraogo, Regional Nutrition Advisor, Helen Keller International, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- Grace Heymsfield, Nutrition Researcher, International Rescue Committee, New York, USA
Moderator
- Elodie Becquey, Senior Research Fellow, Nutrition, Diets, and Health unit, IFPRI