PONE-D-25-02498The prevalence of undernutrition and associated risk factors in people with tuberculosis in Lao People's Democratic RepublicPLOS ONE

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Mohammed Hasen Badeso, Epidemiologist

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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Special recognition goes to Dr Khamphet Phoumin, Dr Phonenaly Chittamany, for their dedicated assistance in the data collection process. We acknowledge the support provided by Phitsada Siphanthong. We also appreciate the invaluable technical insights provided by Dr Kalpeshsinh Rahevar to enhance the quality of the manuscript. Funding of this study was provided by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. We note that you have provided funding information that is not currently declared in your Funding Statement. However, funding information should not appear in the Acknowledgments section or other areas of your manuscript. We will only publish funding information present in the Funding Statement section of the online submission form. Please remove any funding-related text from the manuscript and let us know how you would like to update your Funding Statement. 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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1:  The reported odds ratios and their corresponding log(odds ratios) are inconsistent and require re-analysis. Ensure that computations align correctly before finalizing the results.

(Figure 1):

o The odds ratio (OR) quantifies the association between an exposure and an outcome. The null hypothesis (no association) corresponds to an OR of 1, meaning the odds of the outcome are the same in both groups.

o Since the logarithm of 1 is 0 (i.e., log(1) = 0), the null value for the log odds ratio (log(OR)) is also 0.

o Your figure shows that all variables have Log(OR) > 0, suggesting that all are positively associated with the outcome. However, this contradicts the textual interpretation of the results using odds ratios.

o Additionally, the antilog of the reported log(OR) values does not match the stated odds ratios. For example, the antilog of 3.1 does not yield an OR of 6.8 for the age group 15–24. A re-analysis is necessary.

Reviewer #2:  This study investigates malnutrition among tuberculosis patients at the time of diagnosis in Lao PDR. The results and discussion are presented based on data obtained from central and provincial hospitals in relation to the stated research objectives. Although the representativeness of the collected data in tuberculosis patients is a concern, the study appropriately discusses its limitations. Given its valuable insights into the topic, this manuscript is considered worthy of acceptance.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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The prevalence of undernutrition and associated risk factors in people with tuberculosis in Lao People's Democratic Republic

PONE-D-25-02498R1

Dear Author(s),

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

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Kind regards,

Mohammed Hasen Badeso, Epidemiologist

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments: