THE LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP OF SEVERELY MALNOURISHED CHILDREN WHO PARTICIPATED IN AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM

18 severely malnourished children (IM) who participated in a 3-year ho me-visiting program were compared with 2 other comparison groups compr ising 17 severely malnourished (NIM) and 19 adequately nourished child ren (controls). On enrollment, all the groups were in the same hospita l, and both malnourished groups had lower developmental levels than th e controls. The IM group received intervention for 3 years after hospi talization, consisting of weekly or 2 weekly home visits with tov demo nstrations. At 7, 8, 9, and 14 years after leaving the hospital, the 3 groups were compared on tests of school achievement and IQ. The NIM g roup showed no sign of reducing their deficits, and at the 14-year fol low-up they had markedly lower scores on the WISC verbal and performan ce scales, the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), and the Peabody Pic ture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), than the controls. Throughout the follow- up the IM group's scores were intermediate between the NIM and the con trols in every test. At the 14-year follow-up, their scores were signi ficantly higher than those of the NIM group in the WISC verbal scale, and the difference approached significance in the WRAT. We conclude th at psychosocial intervention should be an integral par-t of treatment for severely malnourished children.