DISCUSSION
Malnutrition incidence and risk
In this prospective study, 13.3% of children were acutely and/or
chronically malnourished, while 79.8% had an NRS indicating
a moderate to severe risk of malnutrition. The NRS on admission
was a good predictor of the duration of hospitalization in
children older than three years. In younger children, the WFH
percentile was inversely associated with the length of hospital
stay. Although only 16 subjects had an NS assessment on day 6,
a deterioration of NS is suspected with a progressive decrease
in the thickness of total skinfolds during hospitalization. Management
was suboptimal for children identified as at risk for
malnutrition on admission: they received only 66.9% of recommended
energy intake. However, management was acceptable
for malnourished children, with energy intake averaging 92.5%
of recommended intake.