Effects of unconditional cash transfers on the outcome of treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM): a cluster-randomised trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Table 2 Outcomes and progress of children with SAM during treatment by study group

Parameters	Intervention arm		Control arm		P value^a
Number (%)	734	(49.6)	747	(50.4)	P value^a
Recovery, n (%)	707	(96.3)	660	(88.4)	<0.001
Non-response, n (%)	5	(0.7)	23	(3.1)	0.016
Defaulter, n (%)	10	(1.4)	45	(6.0)	<0.001
Death, n (%)	4	(0.5)	6	(0.8)	0.759
Length of stay (week), mean (SD)	6.77	±2.31	7.04	±2.77	0.541
Length/height change (mm/week), mean (SD)	0.55	±1.15	0.39	±1.18	0.554
HAZ change (Z-score/month), mean (SD)	–0.15	±0.24	–0.18	±0.23	0.278
Weight change (gram/kg/day), mean (SD)^b	4.37	±1.88	3.84	±1.98	0.021
WAZ change (Z-score/month), mean (SD)^b	0.79	±0.39	0.67	±0.41	0.011
WHZ change (Z-score/month), mean (SD)^b	1.41	±0.57	1.25	±0.64	0.026
BMIZ change (Z-score/month), mean (SD)^b	1.49	±0.60	1.33	±0.68	0.038
MUAC change (mm/day), mean (SD)	0.30	±0.13	0.29	±0.16	0.552
MUACZ-age change (Z-score/month), mean (SD)	0.91	±0.39	0.86	±0.49	0.493
MUACZ-ht change (Z-score/month), mean (SD)	0.95	±0.41	0.92	±0.51	0.604
IDDS change, mean (SD)	1.30	±1.54	0.42	±1.29	0.008

^aComparisons between arms were made by using linear mixed-effects models for continuous outcomes, whereas mixed-effects logistic regression models were used for proportions, with health centre as random effects
^bChildren with oedema were excluded from the analysis of parameters including weight
HAZ height-for-age Z-score, WAZ weight-for-age Z-score, BMIZ body mass index for age Z-score, MUACZ-age mid-upper arm circumference for age Z-score, MUACZ-ht mid-upper arm circumference for height Z-score

ISSN: 1741-7015