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Introduction: Mission Balam Sukham's Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) combats malnutrition through prevention, treatment, and community engagement, ensuring children receive adequate nutrition for healthy growth. Objective: To document IYCF practices and risk factors of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among NRC beneficiaries Methodology: A prospective cohort study was conducted comprising of 63 children aged 6 months to 5 years having SAM alongwith complications admitted at NRC of South Gujarat over the duration of 10 months. Observations: 90.5% poverty, 57.1% migrants, 7.9% single parent. 69.8% initiated breastmilk within 1hr, 15.9% weren't fed with colostrum, 6.3% were given pre-lacteals. 93.7% were exclusively breastfed, 6.3% initiated breastmilk at the time of 6 months. 16%, 60% and 9.8% met the criteria of MDD, MMF and MAD respectively. Boys show significant association on admission and discharge both (t = 2.43, p= 0.026 on admission and t= 2.66, p= 0.015 on discharge). In 13-24 months, MDD group (t = 2.34, p=0.02), children not suffering from anaemia shows significant weight (t=-2.540, p=0.18). Conclusion & Recommendations: Children's weight improvement is linked to better IYCF practices, emphasizing its importance of caregiver attention and education, highlighting need to address cultural barriers and promote practices like exclusive breastfeeding and continuous breastfeeding, focusing on empowering mothers and caretakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Under Mission Balam Sukham, children of 6 months to 5 years having severe acute malnutrition (SAM) along with complications are managed at Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC). They are admitted for 14 days with the provision of a nutritional diet and medicines. Objectives: To explore determinants of nutritional outcome of SAM children admitted at NRC Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted comprising 63 children aged 6 months to 5 years having SAM along with complications admitted at NRC of New Civil Hospital, Surat (NCHS) for 10 months. Results: The majority of participants were boys (54%), 12-23 months of age (50.8%), and Grade III socioeconomic class (39.6%). The duration of stay ranged from 2-36 days. The average duration of stay was 12.78 + 6.49 days; 14.26 ± 5.99 days for boys and 11.10 + 6.73 for girls. 18.8% stayed at NRC for 14 days. The average weight gain was 5.46 g/kg/day. A significant improvement in weight was seen in boys (t=2.20, p<0.05), working mothers (t=2.44, p<0.01), exclusively breastfed children (t=3.62, p<0.01) of 6-11 months, full-term children of 12-23 months (t=4.0, p<0.05). The children of 12-23 months (t=2.90, p<0.01) and boys (t=2.15, p<0.05) showed significant improvement in underweight (WAZ). Wasting improved significantly in age below 36 months (p<0.05). 20.6% could achieve the target weight. Conclusion: NRC is an effective life-saving modality for malnutrition but its outcome is associated with factors like boys, exclusive breastfeeding, and full-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]