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Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the participants

From: Ready-to-use therapeutic food with elevated n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content, with or without fish oil, to treat severe acute malnutrition: a randomized controlled trial

Baseline characteristics

S-RUTF

F-RUTF

FFO-RUTF

Participantsa

20

20

20

Age, months

18 (9 to 30)

16 (11 to 25)

14 (11 to 21)

Sex: Male

12 (60)

10 (50)

11 (55)

Nutritional Status

   

Mid-upper arm circumference, cm

11.2 (10.9 to 11.4)

11.3 (10.8 to 11.9)

10.9 (10.4 to 11.4)

Weight-for-height/length z score

−3.11 (−4.43 to −1.89)

−3.31 (−3.88 to −2.90)

−3.65 (−4.12 to −3.19)

Bilateral pedal edema (kwashiorkor)

1 (5)

1 (5)

0 (0)

Height-for-age z score

−3.11 (−3.90 to −1.93)

−3.36 (−4.58 to −2.55)

−2.58 (−4.20 to −1.97)

Head circumference-for-age z score

−1.38 (−3.36 to −0.62)

−1.85 (−2.82 to −1.02)

−1.37 (−2.27 to −0.56)

Breastfeeding

8 (40)

8 (40)

12 (60)

Complementary feeds introduced, months of age

5 (2 to 6)

4 (2 to 6)

4 (3 to 6)

Complications

   

Diarrhea

11 (55)

8 (40)

4 (20)

Pneumonia

3 (15)

3 (15)

1 (5)

Shock

1 (5)

2 (10)

0 (0)

Congenital heart disease

3 (15)

1 (5)

3 (15)

Cerebral palsy

3 (15)

1 (5)

4 (20)

Demographics

   

Main carer is not the mother

4 (20)

5 (25)

1 (5)

Main carer has no primary education

7 (35)

8 (40)

8 (40)

Lives in mud-walled house

13 (65)

15 (75)

17 (85)

No toilet in house/compound

8 (40)

6 (30)

5 (25)

Fisherman in household

1 (5)

2 (10)

2 (10)

  1. Data are number (%) or median (inter-quartile range) unless otherwise specified.
  2. aExcluding one child withdrawn due to ineligibility (S-RUTF arm).
  3. S-RUTF, Trial arm receiving standard-formulation RUTF without fish oil capsules; FFO-RUTF, Trial arm receiving flax seed oil-containing RUTF and fish oil capsules; F-RUTF, Trial arm receiving flax seed oil-containing RUTF without fish oil capsules.