New study reveals half of malnutrition-related deaths in those with clefts could be prevented
PR Newswire
NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2022
Smile Train and The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation analyze the devastating impact of orofacial clefts over two decades (2000 - 2020)
NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In a new report released today, World Smile Day, Smile Train and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington's School of Medicine find that nearly half of cleft-related malnutrition deaths globally in children under 5 could be prevented with access to adequate nutrition and surgical treatment.
The report provides a first-of-its-kind look at the devastating impact of orofacial clefts over two decades, 2000 to 2020. Clefts occur when certain body parts and structures do not fuse together during fetal development and can cause difficulties eating, breathing, hearing, and speaking. The report synthesized two sets of data, one from Smile Train Express and the other IHME's Global Burden of Disease Modeling demographic group. After pairing and modifying the datasets for alignment, researchers used two meta-regression models to calculate results.
Key findings include:
"By combining the forces of Smile Train's more than 1.5 million surgical records in the Smile Train Express database, including a wealth of nutrition data, and IHME's comprehensive set of health estimates, we now know more about clefts than ever before," says Nicholas Kassebaum, MD, an associate professor at the IHME and a lead author of the study. "We hope that this is a call to action for global health leaders to take further action against undernutrition in children with clefts."
"Clefts are not a cosmetic issue, and this data serves as both a warning and a roadmap," Susannah Schaefer, President and CEO of Smile Train, adds. "It shows us at Smile Train that we're on the right track with expanding our nutrition programs, but that we need to do more. When the scale of an issue is this large, and when lives are at stake, you have to act and you have to act together. Smile Train is proud to have made a 5-year commitment to scale investment in nutrition, but we need to call on governments and other organizations to do the same."
Further findings are available, and you can read the report here.
About the methodology: Smile Train and IHME are dedicated to data transparency, with full details for this report's methodology available online, and a summarized methodology available to reporters upon request.
About Smile Train: Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children's lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.org.
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SOURCE Smile Train