{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T17:59:45Z","timestamp":1790704785139,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790640000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Severe acute malnutrition remains a major public health problem and a leading cause of under-five morbidity and mortality in low and middle income countries. Although outpatient therapeutic feeding programs are widely used to treat uncomplicated cases, recovery time often remains below SPHERE standards. Evidence on time to recovery and its predictors is limited in Tigray, particularly in post-conflict settings where health services have been disrupted.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n To determine the time to recovery and identify its predictors among children aged 6\u201359 months with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition treated in outpatient therapeutic programs in Adet woreda.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n A retrospective cohort study was conducted among children aged 6\u201359 months with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition treated in outpatient therapeutic programs from March 2023 to February 2024. A total of 479 children were selected by systematic random sampling. Bivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to identify candidate variables, and variables with a p\u2009\u2264\u20090.25 were entered into the multivariable model. Statistical significance was declared at p\u2009<\u20090.05.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n The overall recovery rate was 90.8%, with a median recovery time of 49 days. Independent predictors of recovery time were sex (AHR\u2009=\u20091.27, 95% CI:1.04, 1.54), travel time to health facility (AHR\u2009=\u20090.57, 95% CI: 0.44,0.74), residence (AHR\u2009=\u20090.52, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.64), vomiting at admission (AHR\u2009=\u20092.48, 95% CI: 1.27, 4.83), pneumonia at admission (AHR\u2009=\u20093.06, 95% CI: 1.83, 5.11), admission status (AHR\u2009=\u20090.52, 95% CI: 0.39, 0.71), and admission diagnosis (AHR\u2009=\u20090.54,95% CI:0.36,0.81).<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n The recovery rate of children with severe acute malnutrition treated in outpatient therapeutic feeding programs exceed the minimum standard. Early identification and management of medical illnesses, improved access to health facilities, and strengthened collaboration between governmental and nongovernmental organizations are essential reduce recovery time among children receiving outpatient therapeutic programs services.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0359619","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T17:27:23Z","timestamp":1790702843000},"page":"e0359619","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Time to recovery and its predictors among children aged 6 to 59 months with uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition treated in outpatient therapeutic programs in Adet Woreda, Central Zone of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: A retrospective cohort study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Ashebr","family":"Abrha","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Adet Woreda Health Office, Adet","place":["Central Zone, Tigray, Ethiopia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1270-4817","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Solomon","family":"Hintsa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health Sciences, Aksum University","place":["Aksum, Ethiopia"],"department":["Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ebud Ayele","family":"Dagnazgi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health Sciences, Aksum University","place":["Aksum, Ethiopia"],"department":["Department of Public Health Nutrition"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Freweyni","family":"Fisshatsion","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Aksum University","place":["Aksum, Ethiopia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8503-8611","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Goitom","family":"Girmay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Health Sciences, Aksum University","place":["Aksum, Ethiopia"],"department":["Department of Midwifery"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0359619.ref001","volume-title":"WHO child growth standards and the identification of severe acute malnutrition in infants and children: joint statement by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children\u2019s Fund","author":"WH World Health Organization","year":"2009"},{"key":"pone.0359619.ref002","volume-title":"Updates on the management of severe acute malnutrition in infants and children","author":"W Guideline","year":"2013"},{"key":"pone.0359619.ref003","volume-title":"Levels and trends in child malnutrition: UNICEF\/WHO\/World Bank Group joint child malnutrition estimates: key findings of the 2023 edition","author":"WH Organization","year":"2023"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0359619.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.1186\/s13643-024-02740-9","article-title":"Prevalence and risk factors of under-five mortality due to severe acute malnutrition in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"14","author":"J Wambua","year":"2025","journal-title":"Syst Rev"},{"key":"pone.0359619.ref005","volume-title":"Levels and trends in child malnutrition: key findings of the 2019 edition of the joint child malnutrition estimates","author":"Unicef, WHO W","year":"2020"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0359619.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0229698","article-title":"The recovery rate from severe acute malnutrition among under-five years of children remains low in sub-Saharan Africa. 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