Evaluation of the Health and Nutritional Status of Discharged Children From Malnutrition Treatment Centres Using Mobile Phone Calls During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Jharkhand, India

Background The Indian state of Jharkhand has the highest rate of wasting (29%) among young children. Mobile audio call follow-up can be used to assess such children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Aim This study evaluated SAM children during the COVID-19 outbreak and learn more about the status of their home/community care, and caregivers’ awareness of integrated child development services (ICDS) and COVID-19 prevention. Methods Contact numbers of caregivers for discharged children were obtained from 54 malnutrition treatment centers (MTCs). In April and June 2020, mentors conducted follow-up interviews using mobile phone calls. Results Seven children (1.72%) were reported dead and 400 were alive, mostly girls (59.5%). Only a few caregivers observed post-discharge ailments (15.4%) and weight loss (7.7%) in their children. Children aged six to 24 months were characterized by continued breastfeeding (88.0%) at most five to six times a day (45.8%). Most of the children were not fed as per maternal infant and young child feeding protocols. Age in months with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.55 (1.00-1.11) as a 95% confidence interval (CI), age category, with an adjusted OR of 4.32 (1.71- 10.94) as 95% CI, and breastfeeding with adjusted OR 1.85 (1.07- 3.21) as 95% CI were three major predictors for a well-fed child. Conclusion Community involvement is crucial in the follow-up of children with SAM for effective rehabilitation. Mobile phone audio call follow-up is a relatively cost-effective approach to tackle geographic barriers and COVID-19 lockdown-induced situations. There are major gaps mainly in informing caregivers on how to manage COVID-19 with breastfeeding.