Collecting Evidence for Community Based Treatment of Severe Malnutrition

The Child and Adolescent Health Department and the Department of Nutrition for Health and Development of WHO, in collaboration with the Standing Committee for Nutrition of the United Nations, have begun the process to formulate recommendations on the community based management of severe malnutrition. This has largely come about with the increased attention on community based treatment over the last five years with the development of Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF).

As part of this process, an evidence database is being systematically compiled, building on the findings of a previous literature review made in 2001 for WHO¹ and a recent initial literature search. The team is calling for relevant studies to add to these. Priority is given to studies published in peer reviewed journals, however, WHO can assist in the preparing for publication the results of relevant but still unpublished studies.

This evidence gathering is not limited to agencies with community based programmes using RUTF - contributions from other agencies using different community based programmes to treat severe malnutrition are welcome.

To find out more and take part in this process, contact Claudine Prudhon, United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition, c/o World Health Organisation, 20 Avenue Appia, CH 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland Tel: +41-22-791-34-81, Fax : +41-22-798-88-91, Email: prudhonc@who.int, scn@who.int

¹Community based rehabilitation of severely malnourished children: a review of successful programmes. Ann Ashworth, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, July 2001. Available from email: prudhon@who.int