| dc.description.abstract | A prospective study (lnterventional ln nature) was carried out
to assess the effect of dietary supplementation with either
texturized soya bean protein (TVP) and provitamin A (betacarotene
from carrots) or with TVP alone on growth rate (weight
gain), diarrhoea experience and rehabilitation period among
malnourished children,' at Makumbe Hospital Nutritional
Rehabilitation Centre, Zimbabwe.
The study comprised of 49 children aged between 6-60 months i.e.
26 in non- vitamin A supplemented diet (NVASD) group whose diet
was supplemented with TVP alone and 23 in vitamin A supplemented
diet (VASD) group whose diet was supplemented with TVP and
provitamin A. A time-based quota sampling procedure was used to
allocate children to the groups. Discharge criteria from the
study was a gain of 1 Kg or after 21 days of stay if the child
failed to aitain the weight.
The characteristics of the two groups were practically similar.
The results showed that, overall there was no significant
difference between the' supplemented diet groups even after
categorization by sex, age and type of malnutrition, in their
growth rate, diarrhoea experience and rehabilitation period.
However, the children in the VASD group had a slightly higher
growth rate (8.6 g/kg body weight/day) compared to the NVASD
group whose growth rate was ? 8 g/kg body weight/day. The
diarrhoea experience for children ln the VASD group (0.5
diarrhoea days) was lower compared to the NVASD group (1.2
diarrhoea days). Marasmic children in the NVASD group experienced
higher diarrhoea episodes (6.0 diarrhoea days) compared to
marasmic children in VASD group (3.5 diarrhoea days) which was
significantly different (p<0.05). The rehabilitation period for
VASD group (16.5 days) was slightly shorter than that for NVASD
group which was 18.2 days. It is noteworth that the children in
the VASD group had consistently better outcomes in the the three
parameters assessed compared to those in NVASD group.
The results suggests that dietary supplementation with textured
soya bean protein with or without provitamin A may be beneficial
to malnourished children as it promotes a growth rate (weight
gain) which is higher than the recommended growth rate which
diets suitable for nutritional rehabilitation should promote. | en |
