Evaluation of a Rwanda Hospital Feeding Program on Nutrition, Recovery, Costs of Care and Health Related Quality of Life

NCT06852885 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: RNEC80/2024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 794
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 4

Brief Summary

The purpose of this interventional study was to evaluate outcomes for Solid'Africa's Gemura feeding program in four selected public hospitals comparing results between patients receiving and patients not receiving the feeding program. The study measured the effects of the program on patients nutritional status, recovery during hospitalization, patient health related-quality of life, patient satisfaction, and patient costs of care. Participants were asked: (1) to eat meals provided three times a day if they were in the intervention group; (2) to participate in an intake and discharge survey; and (3) to participate in a daily food intake survey.

Conditions

Nutrition

Keywords

Nutrition; hospitals, public; malnutrition; sub-Saharan Africa; food intake

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Nutritional status

  Nutritional status will be measured anthropometrically in terms of weight-for-height for all participants to calculate body mass index (BMI = kg/m2). Weight will be measured with a digital weight scale and height will be measured in recumbent position for patients unable to stand and in a standing position for other patients using a height board or a tape measure. Nutritional status will also be classified at baseline and at endline, with BMI \< 18.5 considered underweight, 18.5-24.9 normal weight, 25.0-29.9 overweight, and 30.0+ obese.49 Underweight will be further classified as standard for adults and for children. For children, chronic malnutrition or stunting (low height for age) and acute malnutrition or wasting (low weight for height) will be defined according to the World Health Organization growth charts and classification standards.

  Baseline and final day of patient stay, on average day 5

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Length of Stay

  Baseline and final day of patient stay, on average day 5

• Treatment outcome

  Final day of patient stay, on average day 5

• Costs of treatment

  Final day of patient stay, on average day 5

• Patient satisfaction

  Final day of patient stay, on average day 5

• Health-related quality of life

  Final day of patient stay, on average day 5

Other Outcomes (1)

• Food intake

  Daily until final day of patient stay, about every 24 hours for 5 days on average

Study Arms (2)

Gemura

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention of the Solid'Africa Gemura selective feeding program will be administered as usual for study participants in the two intervention sites. Eligible hospital inpatients will receive three meals a day during their hospital stay, as prescribed by hospital nutritionists for their specific conditions and ordered from Solid'Africa. The Solid'Africa team will prepare the ordered meals in their off-site kitchen in Rusororo and deliver them daily to the hospitals where the meals will be distributed to the study participants. Meal caloric and nutritional content information is standardized except upon request. The normal meal is 575g of food consisting of 2300kCal with 300g of carbohydrates, 175g of protein, and 100g vitamins/minerals. In addition, Solid'Africa will adjust meal content per nutritionist request for specific needs like low salt/sugar, etc.

Other: Meals

Control

NO INTERVENTION

This arm includes inpatients meeting the same eligibility criteria as the intervention arm. However, no intervention will be offered and these patients will experience a hospital stay as usual.

Interventions

Meals OTHER

The intervention of the Solid'Africa Gemura selective feeding program will be administered as usual for study participants in the two intervention sites. Eligible hospital inpatients will receive three meals a day during their hospital stay, as prescribed by hospital nutritionists for their specific conditions and ordered from Solid'Africa. The Solid'Africa team will prepare the ordered meals in their off-site kitchen in Rusororo and deliver them daily to the hospitals where the meals will be distributed to the study participants. Meal caloric and nutritional content information is standardized except upon request. The normal meal is 575g of food consisting of 2300kCal with 300g of carbohydrates, 175g of protein, and 100g vitamins/minerals. In addition, Solid'Africa will adjust meal content per nutritionist request for specific needs like low salt/sugar, etc.

Gemura

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 5 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Hospital inpatients
• Vulnerable socioeconomic status according to social worker assessment
• Most inpatient categories
• Voluntary, self-feeding ability
• Able to stand on scale, with help if needed

You may not qualify if:

• Hospital outpatients
• Patients not determined socioeconomically vulnerable by social worker
• Pregnant women hospitalized for delivery
• Patients undergoing special treatment for malnutrition
• Patients receiving enteral or parenteral nutrition treatment
• Patients receiving any kind of artificial feeding support
• Patients unable to stand on scale to measure weight

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Solid'Africa: lead

Study Sites (4)

Centre Hopitalier Universitaire de Butare

Butare, Rwanda

Location

Centre Hopitalier Universitaire de Kigali

Kigali, Rwanda

Location

Masaka Hospital

Kigali, Rwanda

Location

Nyamata Hospital

Nyamata, Rwanda

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Malnutrition

Interventions

Meals

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Food; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena; Food and Beverages

Study Officials

• Stefanie Weiland, MSc MPH

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 20, 2025
• First Posted: February 28, 2025
• Study Start: May 28, 2024
• Primary Completion: October 14, 2024
• Study Completion: October 14, 2024
• Last Updated: February 28, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

RW (4)