Severe Acute Malnutrition and Mortality among Children 6-59 Months in the DRC, 1992

These data are part of a large cohort study. For this analysis, the aim was to describe the mortality risk of children in the community who had severe acute malnutrition (SAM) defined by either a mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) <115mm, a low weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) <-3 or both criteria. It was found an increasing death rate with a deteriorating nutritional status for both anthropometrical indicators. Children identified as SAM only by a low MUAC and those identified only by a low WHZ had a similar mortality hazard which was about 4 times higher than those without an anthropometric deficit. Having both a low MUAC and a low WHZ was associated with an 8 times higher risk of dying compared to children within the normal range.

The original data was a cohort study including 5657 children living in Bwamanda, DRC in 1989-1992. Jan Van den Broeck was the principal investigator for the original cohort study.

Data are freely available for downloading.