Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38197153›Full record

ArticlePublic health nutrition2024

Mid-upper arm circumference only protocol in Pakistan: missed opportunities for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition? A mixed-methods observational study.

Benjamin Guesdon, Meena Iqbal Faruqi, Muhammad Ilyas Siddiqui, Gulzar Usman, Kanwal Naz Ariser, Rafaina Shah, Fatima Amin, Muntaha Masoud, Qamar Din Tagar, Brigitte Tonon and 2 more

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Article in Public health nutrition, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Benjamin GuesdonAction Contre la Faim - France, 102 rue de Paris, 93100Montreuil, France.ORCID 0000-0002-2876-0533
Meena Iqbal FaruqiAction Contre la Faim - France, 102 rue de Paris, 93100Montreuil, France.
Muhammad Ilyas SiddiquiLiaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan.ORCID 0000-0003-2841-5796
Gulzar UsmanLiaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan.
Kanwal Naz AriserLiaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan.
Rafaina ShahLiaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan.
Fatima AminAction Against Hunger - Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Muntaha MasoudAction Against Hunger - Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Qamar Din TagarAction Against Hunger - Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Brigitte TononAction Contre la Faim - France, 102 rue de Paris, 93100Montreuil, France.
Elise LesieurAction Contre la Faim - France, 102 rue de Paris, 93100Montreuil, France.
Khalida Naz MemonLiaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan.ORCID 0000-0002-6130-1435

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe investigated the missed treatment opportunities affecting programmes using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) as the sole anthropometric criterion for identification and monitoring of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

designAlongside MUAC, we assessed weight-for-height

settingData were collected from October to December 2021 in Tando Allah Yar District, Sindh. SUBJECTS: All children screened in the health facilities (

resultsOverall, 80·3 % of the SAM cases identified during community screening and 64·1 % of those identified in the health facilities presented a 'WHZ-only' diagnosis. These figures reached 93·9 % and 84·5 %, respectively, in children aged over 24 months. Among children treated for SAM and discharged as recovered, 25·3 % were still severely wasted according to WHZ. While parents positively appraised the treatment received by their children, they also recommended to extend eligibility to other malnourished children in their neighbourhood.

conclusionIn this context, using MUAC as the sole anthropometric criterion for treatment decisions (referral, admission and discharge) resulted in a large number of missed opportunities for children in need of timely and adequate care.

Indexed as

MalnutritionSevere Acute MalnutritionArmBody WeightChildHumansInfantObservational Studies as TopicPakistanAdmissionCase definitionDischargeMid-upper arm circumferenceScreeningSevere acute malnutritionWeight-for-height Z-score

Identifiers

PMID38197153
PMCPMC10830331

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