ArticlePloS one2020
Factors associated with mortality in children under five years old hospitalized for Severe Acute Malnutrition in Limpopo province, South Africa, 2014-2018: A cross-sectional analytic study.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and risk factors of under-five mortality due to severe acute malnutrition in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring the Effects of Climate Variability on Diarrheal Diseases, Malaria, and Malnutrition in Children Under Five Years in Revuè Sub-Basin, Manica Province, Mozambique.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Article
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- Nature vs. nurture: parental care cushions agricultural drought impacts on child health in South Africa.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Factors influencing early introduction of complementary feeding in children under 2 years in Limpopo province.Curationis · 2025Article
- Sex differences in severe acute malnutrition in children under 5 years in Zambia.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- The Spectrum of Pathogens Associated with Infections in African Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition: A Scoping Review.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2024Article
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- Profile of Children with Undernutrition Admitted in Two Secondary-Level Hospitals in Maputo City, Mozambique.Nutrients · 2024Article
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- Survival Status and Predictors of Tuberculosis Development Among Under 5 Children Admitted With Severe Acute Malnutrition in Ethiopia: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Global pediatric health · 2024Article
- Severe Acute Malnutrition: The Potential of Non-Peanut, Non-Milk Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods.Current nutrition reports · 2023Review
- Anemia in Severe Acute Malnutrition: Ten Steps of Management Need to be Fine-Tuned.Indian journal of pediatrics · 2023Article
- Examining comorbidities in children with diarrhea across four provinces of Mozambique: A cross-sectional study (2015 to 2019).PloS one · 2023Article
- Article
- Patterns, Outcomes and Predictors of Pediatric Medical Admissions at Gadarif Hospital in Eastern Sudan.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2022Article
- Prevalence and risk factors of diarrheal diseases in Sierra Leone, 2019: a cross-sectional study.The Pan African medical journal · 2022Article
- Article
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4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn South Africa, 30.9% of children under five years with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) died in 2018. We aimed to identify factors associated with mortality among children under five years hospitalized with SAM in Limpopo province, South Africa.
methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study including children under five years admitted with SAM from 2014 to 2018 in public hospitals of Limpopo province. We extracted socio-demographic and clinical data from hospital records. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with mortality.
findingsWe included 956 children, 50.2% (480/956) male and 49.8% (476/956) female. The median age was 13 months (inter quartile range: 9-19 months). The overall SAM mortality over the study period was 25.9% (248/956). The most common complications were diarrhea, 63.8% (610/956), and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), 42.4% (405/956). Factors associated with mortality included herbal medication use (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 2.2, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.4-3.5, p = 0.001), poor appetite (aOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.4-5.2, p = 0.003), Mid-upper circumference (MUAC) <11.5 cm (aOR: 3.0, 95% CI: 1.9-4.7, p<0.001), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) (aOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2-2.0, p<0.001), anemia (aOR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1-5.3, p = 0.021), hypoglycemia (aOR: 12.4, 95% CI: 7.1-21.8, p<0.001) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (aOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.6-3.3, p<0.001).
interpretationHerbal medication use, poor appetite, LRTIs, anemia, hypoglycemia, and HIV infection were associated with mortality among children with SAM. These factors should guide management of children with SAM.
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