Dietary management of acute diarrhea with local foods in a Guatemalan rural community

A community‐based, randomized trial was conducted to evaluate a locally available diet for the management of acute diarrhea (n= 99 episodes) in 90 Guatemalan children, 4–42 months of age. The Test Diet (TD), a combination of a semi‐solid pap (maize flour, black beans, oil) and a liquid gruel, Incaparina (maize flour, cotton seed flour, sugar), in addition to breast‐milk and other home foods (group TD, n= 45 episodes) was offered for 14 d and compared to usual home feeding (group HF, n= 54 episodes). Diarrhea episodes after admission were significantly shorter for group TD (median 2. 0 d) than group HF (median 4. 4 d, p= 0. 003) after adjusting for potential confounders. Weight gains did not differ significantly between groups. We conclude that community‐based dietary management of acute childhood diarrhea using energy‐dense, locally available foods is feasible and may shorten diarrhea duration. This may encourage mothers to follow recommendations for continued feeding during diarrhea in developing country environments.

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