Impact of biannual azithromycin on weight-for-age z-score among infants in the AVENIR cluster-randomised trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The AVENIR cluster-randomised trial evaluated whether biannual mass drug administration (MDA) of azithromycin improved childhood mortality among infants in Niger, a high-mortality, high-malnutrition setting.

Methods

Weight-for-age z-score (WAZ) was a prespecified secondary outcome of the trial. In this analysis, 2880 communities in the Dosso and Tahoua regions and 51 687 infants with two sequential weight measurements were included. Weight was assessed at baseline and 6 months post treatment, and WAZ was calculated using WHO standards. To include two subsequent measures of WAZ, infants at baseline were 1-5 months old. Linear mixed-effects models compared mean WAZ between azithromycin and placebo arms, with additional analyses examining community-level means, categ

SUBMITTER: Peterson B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12699659 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature