title: [Assessment of the intervention in a therapeutic feeding center for children in Nicaragua].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Child malnutrition carries a high morbimortality worldwide. Therapeutic feeding centers are essential in the treatment of malnourished children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of the therapeutic intervention in under-5 undernourished children in a Therapeutic Feeding Center.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective descriptive research was made through the revision of the clinical histories of children under 5 years that entered the Nutritional Recovery Center for Children in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, from January 2006 to July 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age at admission was 17.2 months (p25:10.7-p75:27.2) and median stay in the center was 92 days (p25:61.5-p75:134.5). Prevalence of patients with severe acute malnutrition was 45%, moderate acute malnutrition 24% and risk for malnutrition 31%. At discharge 86% of patients were properly nourished. Median weight gain percentage after the first month in the center was 15% (p25:12.6-p75:17.4). Median weight gain was 3.7 g/kg/day (p25:2.6-p75:5.4), being higher in children under 6 months (4.6 g/kg/day; p25:4.3-p75:7.5). Cured rate in the center was 87.5%, being the death rate 0% and the abandonment rate 9%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The center evaluated works adequately, and fulfills the internationally recommended quality indicators. However, recommended average stay of 1-2 months and average weight gain of 8 g/kg/day are far of being fulfilled. Therefore, the Nutritional Recovery Center performs an effective intervention, but it's not efficient enough.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Unidad Docente Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Atela Urquijo
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martín Ibáñez
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Trenchs Sainz de la Maza
mesh_terms: D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004487:Edema / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D009527:Nicaragua / Q000453:epidemiology; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology