Impacto del cambio de las tablas del NCHS a los estándares de crecimiento de la OMS 2006 en un programa de alimentación terapéutica en Níger

Summary Objectives  To describe the implementation of the WHO 2006 growth standards in a therapeutic feeding programme. Methods  Using programme monitoring data from 21 769 children 6–59 months admitted to the Médecins Sans Frontières therapeutic feeding programme during 2007, we compared characteristics at admission, type of care and outcomes for children admitted before and after the shift to the WHO 2006 standards. Admission criteria were bipedal oedema, MUAC <110 mm, or weight‐for‐height (WFH) of <‐70% of the median (NCHS) before mid‐May 2007, and WFH <‐3 z score (WHO 2006 ) after mid‐May 2007. Results  Children admitted with the WHO 2006 standards were more likely to be younger, with a higher proportion of males, and less malnourished (mean WFH ‐3.6 z score vs. mean WFH ‐4.6 z score). They were less likely to require hospitalization or intensive care (28.4% vs. 77%; 12.8% vs. 36.5%) and more likely to be treated exclusively on an outpatient basis (71.6% vs. 23%). Finally, they experienced better outcomes (cure rate: 89% vs. 71.7%, death rate: 2.7% vs. 6.4%, default rate: 6.7% vs. 12.3%). Conclusions  In this programme, the WHO 2006 standards identify a larger number of malnourished children at an earlier stage of disease facilitating their treatment success.