The effects of using P and G purifier of water during the treatment of severe acute malnutrition

Facilitated in Bandundu, D.R.C over a span of 4 months, this study evaluated the efficacy of P&G Purifier of Water, a point-of-use water treatment product produced and provided by Procter & Gamble. The evaluation was conducted by comparing the efficiency of using Ready-to-use-Food (RUTF) and treating domestic water with P&G Purifier of Water versus RUTF alone in the nutrition treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) children under the age of 5 years without medical complications. Two hypotheses were tested: 1.) SAM cases without medical complication benefiting from RUTF + P&G Purifier of Water have a lower prevalence of waterborne diseases during the course of their treatment 2.) SAM children benefiting from RUTF + P&G Purifier of Water have better outcomes in terms of treatment time (shorter) and weight gain (higher). Ultimately, the study determined the importance of promoting P&G Purifier of Water as part of the standard nutrition treatment of SAM children without medical complications, in areas with difficult or no access to clean drinking water.