A Novel Low-Cost Tool for a More Efficient and Reliable Weight-for-Height/Length Assessment (Yared's-tool)

JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc.

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Wasting; Severe Acute Malnutrition

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: New Method; Diagnostic Test: Existing Method

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03780348

JSI R&T #18-46

Details and patient eligibility

About

Weight-for-height/length z-score is one of the indicators used to diagnose acute malnutrition. In the existing method, the assessment involves three steps and takes significant time with a wider room for errors. A new tool is developed to address these drawbacks. A preliminary testing done show encouraging results, but a more robust study is needed. This research will b done with the objective of comparing diagnostic efficiency and reliability of the 'new' method against the 'existing' one using a diagnostic randomized clinical trial method.

Full description

Acute malnutrition is a major underlying and direct cause of child death. Weight-for-height/length z score (WHZ) is one of the indicators used to assess nutritional status of children. In the existing method, the assessment involves three steps; measuring height, measuring weight and deciding WHZ using a reference graphs or tables. The assessment takes significant time and has wider room for errors. Due to these drawbacks, it is not used at community level where regular active finding takes place.

A new tool is developed to address these drawbacks. It reduces the steps to two aiming at reducing errors and saving time and energy. This study will compare efficiency and reliability of WHZ assessments done with the new tool against the existing method using a diagnostic randomized clinical trial.

Trained health workers will do WHZ assessments in under five children mobilized for nutrition screening program. The 'average time' needed and proportions of 'classification errors' will be compared between the new and the existing methods. Assessments done by two anthropometry experts will be used as gold standard.

The study will determine the gains of the new tool and can potentially change the global practice and help early detection of huge number of wasted children that are being missed.

Enrollment: 510 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: Under 5 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• All children under five years of age living in the study area.

Exclusion criteria

• Children for whom weigh-for-height assessments can not be done due to physical deformities and disabilities.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Diagnostic

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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510 participants in 3 patient groups

New Method

Experimental group

Description:

'New' weight-for-height method will be used to assess children assigned to this arm

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: New Method

Existing Method

Active Comparator group

Description:

'Existing' weight-for-height method will be used to assess children assigned to this arm

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: Existing Method

Health Extension Workers

Experimental group

Description:

Health Extension workers will do weight-for-height assessment using the new method

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: New Method