10.17037/DATA.00004820
Data collected as part of a sub-study of the CHANGE project (Child malnutrition& Adult NCDs-Generating Evidence on mechanistic links in Jamaica, Malawi & Ethiopia to inform future policy/practice).
This work was intended to inform future child malnutrition treatment programmes by describing perceptions of optimal rates of post-malnutrition weight gain/growth, assessing how short- and long-term outcomes are currently understood and prioritised, and understanding perceptions of the role of malnutrition treatment services in preventing longer-term NCDs.
The research used a mixed method approach, comprised of a global cross-sectional online survey (December 2023-March 2024) and key informant interviews (March-July 2024). Participants were professionals with experience in severe malnutrition and/or child health, identified through convenience and snowballing sampling.
The tabular dataset contains survey responses provided by 68 participants. In total, 33 variables are recorded, addressing the questions outlined in “CHANGE_survey_questionnaire.pdf”.
| Variable Name | Variable Label | Answer Label | Answer Code | Variable Type |
| participant_no | Unlinked participant ID (incremental number) | Open ended | Numeric | |
| org | What type of organisation do you work for? | String | ||
| Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)/Charity | Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)/Charity | |||
| Policy development | Policy development | |||
| Government | Government | |||
| United Nations | United Nations | |||
| Healthcare | Healthcare | |||
| Public Health | Public Health | |||
| Academic | Academic | |||
| Independent | Independent | |||
| Other | Other | |||
| org_other | If you selected Other, please specify | Open ended | String | |
| role | What is your professional role? (Select all that apply) | String | ||
| Doctor (paediatrics) | Doctor (paediatrics) | |||
| Doctor (other) | Doctor (other) | |||
| Nurse | Nurse | |||
| Nutritionist | Nutritionist | |||
| Mental Health Specialiist | Mental Health Specialiist | |||
| Public Health Specialist | Public Health Specialist | |||
| Programme manager | Programme manager | |||
| Other | Other | |||
| role_other | If you selected Other, please specify | Open ended | String | |
| role_length | How long have you been working in this role or in similar work? | String | ||
| 0-5 years | 0-5 years | |||
| 6-10 years | 6-10 years | |||
| 11-15 years | 11-15 years | |||
| 16-20 years | 16-20 years | |||
| 20+ years | 20+ years | |||
| work_region | Which geographical region is your work focused on? (Select all that apply) | String | ||
| Global | Global | |||
| North Africa | North Africa | |||
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa | |||
| Latin-America & Carribean | Latin-America & Carribean | |||
| North America | North America | |||
| Central Asia | Central Asia | |||
| East Asia | East Asia | |||
| South-East Asia | South-East Asia | |||
| South Asia | South Asia | |||
| West Asia | West Asia | |||
| Europe | Europe | |||
| Oceania | Oceania | |||
| work_context | What context do you work in? (Select all that apply) | String | ||
| Humanitarian | Humanitarian | |||
| Development | Development | |||
| Other | Other | |||
| work_context_other | If you selected Other, please specify | |||
| optimalwg_inpt | What would you consider an optimal rate of weight gain during the INPATIENT phase of malnutrition treatment? (in g/kg/day) | String | ||
| 0-5 | 0-5 | |||
| 5-10 | 5-10 | |||
| 10-15 | 10-15 | |||
| 15-20 | 15-20 | |||
| 20+ | 20+ | |||
| optimalwg_outpt | What would you consider an optimal rate of weight gain during the OUTPATIENT phase of malnutrition treatment or a CMAM programme (Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition)? (in g/kg/day) | String | ||
| 0-5 | 0-5 | |||
| 5-10 | 5-10 | |||
| 10-15 | 10-15 | |||
| 15-20 | 15-20 | |||
| 20+ | 20+ | |||
| ab | In your opinion, which growth chart shows a more optimal (healthier/more desirable) growth pattern? Please consider the (i) starting WAZ, (ii) ending WAZ, (iii) rates of growth relative to WHO z-score thresholds, and (iv) trajectory of these growth patterns. | String | ||
| Chart A | Chart A | |||
| Chart B | Chart B | |||
| No difference | No difference | |||
| ab_exp | Please briefly explain WHY the growth pattern you have chosen is more optimal (healthier/more desirable)? NB Please avoid simply describing the growth pattern. | Open ended | String | |
| cd | In your opinion, which growth chart shows a more optimal (healthier/more desirable) growth pattern? Please consider the (i) starting WAZ, (ii) ending WAZ, (iii) rates of growth relative to WHO z-score thresholds, and (iv) trajectory of these growth patterns. | String | ||
| Chart C | Chart C | |||
| Chart D | Chart D | |||
| No difference | No difference | |||
| cd_exp | Please briefly explain WHY the growth pattern you have chosen is more optimal (healthier/more desirable)? NB Please avoid simply describing the growth pattern. | Open ended | String | |
| ef | In your opinion, which growth chart shows a more optimal (healthier/more desirable) growth pattern? Please consider the (i) starting WAZ, (ii) ending WAZ, (iii) rates of growth relative to WHO z-score thresholds, and (iv) trajectory of these growth patterns. | |||
| Chart E | Chart E | |||
| Chart F | Chart F | |||
| No difference | No difference | |||
| ef_exp | Please briefly explain WHY the growth pattern you have chosen is more optimal (healthier/more desirable)? NB Please avoid simply describing the growth pattern. | Open ended | String | |
| gh | In your opinion, which growth chart shows a more optimal (healthier/more desirable) growth pattern? Please consider the (i) starting HAZ, (ii) ending HAZ, (iii) rates of growth relative to WHO z-score thresholds, and (iv) trajectory of these growth patterns. | String | ||
| Chart G (HAZ) | Chart G (HAZ) | |||
| Chart H (HAZ) | Chart H (HAZ) | |||
| No difference | No difference | |||
| gh_exp | Please briefly explain WHY the growth pattern you have chosen is more optimal (healthier/more desirable)? NB Please avoid simply describing the growth pattern. | Open ended | String | |
| jk | In your opinion, which growth chart shows a more optimal (healthier/more desirable) growth pattern? Please consider the (i) starting HAZ, (ii) ending HAZ, (iii) rates of growth relative to WHO z-score thresholds, and (iv) trajectory of these growth patterns. | String | ||
| Chart J (HAZ) | Chart J (HAZ) | |||
| Chart K (HAZ) | Chart K (HAZ) | |||
| No difference | No difference | |||
| jk_exp | Please briefly explain WHY the growth pattern you have chosen is more optimal (healthier/more desirable)? NB Please avoid simply describing the growth pattern. | String | ||
| child_dev_imp | In your opinion, how important is "Improving child development" as a medium-term aim of child malnutrition treatment programmes? | String | ||
| Very important | Very important | |||
| Important | Important | |||
| Moderately important | Moderately important | |||
| Of low importance | Of low importance | |||
| Not at all important | Not at all important | |||
| ncd_red_imp | In your opinion, how important is "Reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases in adulthood" as a long-term aim of child malnutrition treatment programmes? | String | ||
| Very important | Very important | |||
| Important | Important | |||
| Moderately important | Moderately important | |||
| Of low importance | Of low importance | |||
| Not at all important | Not at all important | |||
| ncd_red_role? | Do you believe that malnutrition treatment programmes have a role in reducing the risk of adulthood non-communicable diseases, given that children survive childhood malnutrition? | String | ||
| Yes | Yes | |||
| No | No | |||
| Don't know | Don't know | |||
| ncd_red_exp | Please briefly explain your answer. | Open ended | String | |
| rank_childdev | The following five outcomes are all potential short- and long-term aims of malnutrition treatment programmes. Please rank the following five aims in order of importance and priority in the context of malnutrition treatment programmes: *Improving child development may include improving educational potential and preventing disability* (1 - 5 scale) | Numeric | ||
| Most important | 1 (most important) | |||
| 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | |||
| 4 | 4 | |||
| Least important | 5 (least important) | |||
| rank_mort | The following five outcomes are all potential short- and long-term aims of malnutrition treatment programmes. Please rank the following five aims in order of importance and priority in the context of malnutrition treatment programmes: *Preventing mortality* (1-5 scale) | Numeric | ||
| Most important | 1 (most important) | |||
| 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | |||
| 4 | 4 | |||
| Least important | 5 (least important) | |||
| rank_ncd | The following five outcomes are all potential short- and long-term aims of malnutrition treatment programmes. Please rank the following five aims in order of importance and priority in the context of malnutrition treatment programmes: *Reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases in adulthood* (1-5 scale) | Numeric | ||
| Most important | 1 (most important) | |||
| 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | |||
| 4 | 4 | |||
| Least important | 5 (least important) | |||
| rank_shortterm_morb | The following five outcomes are all potential short- and long-term aims of malnutrition treatment programmes. Please rank the following five aims in order of importance and priority in the context of malnutrition treatment programmes: *Short-term morbidity, e.g. diarrhoea, pneumonia, acute infections, or illnesses* (1-5 scale) | Numeric | ||
| Most important | 1 (most important) | |||
| 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | |||
| 4 | 4 | |||
| Least important | 5 (least important) | |||
| rank_stunt | The following five outcomes are all potential short- and long-term aims of malnutrition treatment programmes. Please rank the following five aims in order of importance and priority in the context of malnutrition treatment programmes: *Reducing the risk of stunting by 2 years of age (1-5 scale) | Numeric | ||
| Most important | 1 (most important) | |||
| 2 | 2 | |||
| 3 | 3 | |||
| 4 | 4 | |||
| Least important | 5 (least important) | |||
| lowerE_slowerwg_ben? | Do you think that slower rate of daily weight gain and growth post-malnutrition (e.g. by providing a lower-energy therapeutic feed*) could be beneficial for the child in any way? * e.g. which could be achieved by prescribing feeds at 150 kcal/kg/day (i.e. lower end of the WHO-recommended range), rather than the 200 kcal/kg/day (i.e. top end of range) | String | ||
| Yes | ||||
| No | ||||
| Don't know | ||||
| lowerE_slowerwg_ben?_exp | Please briefly explain your answer. | Open ended | String | |
| comments | Any further comments regarding topics covered in this survey? | Open ended | String |