ArticleBMC nutrition2026
Prevalence and exploratory analysis of factors associated with treatment default in outpatient therapeutic care for severe acute malnutrition among children aged 6-59 months in northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUganda's Outpatient Therapeutic Care (OTC) programs have scaled up community-based Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) management, yet treatment default rates remain higher than acceptable thresholds. Evidence on the drivers of default, particularly in referral settings in northern Uganda, is limited. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of treatment default among children aged 6-59 months enrolled in OTC at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital (GRRH) in Northern Uganda.
methodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted using retrospective chart review data of 411 children enrolled in the OTC program at GRRH between July 2022 and June 2024. Data on sociodemographic (age, sex, residence), anthropometric (weight, height, Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC), and clinical characteristics (HIV status, admission type, nutritional status, and infant feeding practice) were extracted from the integrated nutrition register and analyzed using STATA version 17. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic and clinical characteristics. Bivariate analysis assessed associations with treatment default. Variables with p < 0.20 or theoretical relevance were included in multivariable logistic regression. Adjusted Odds Ratios (AORs) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) were reported, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.
resultsOf the 411 children included, the median age was 18 months (IQR: 12-25); 57.2% were male, 66.2% were under 24 months, over half weighed < 7 kg, and 67.6% had SAM without edema at admission The treatment default rate was 24.8%. Bivariate analysis showed significant associations between default and HIV status (p = 0.01), lower median admission weight (median = 6.4 kg; IQR 5.5-8.1 vs. 7.0 kg; IQR 6.0-8.2; p = 0.02), and weight < 7 kg (p = 0.03). In multivariable analysis, none of the variables remained statistically significant; however, admission weight < 7 kg showed a positive, non-significant association with default (AOR = 1.52; p = 0.12).
conclusionsDefault from OTC remains high at GRRH, particularly among younger and underweight children. Targeted interventions should include strengthened follow-up systems to enhance treatment completion in OTC programs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.