Clinical trial · Observational
Mothers Understand And Can do it - Mid Upper Arm Circumference Screening for Malnutrition Performed by Mothers
Mothers Understand And Can do it - Mid Upper Arm Circumference Screening for Malnutrition Performed by Mothers of Children < 5 Years Old
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE : To determine whether mothers, given minimal group training, are capable of using a MUAC (mid-upper arm circumference) bracelet to screen their children for malnutrition and categorise them into one of three groups : 'red' (SAM ; severe acute malnutrition), 'yellow' (MAM ; moderate acute malnutrition) or 'green' (normal nutritional status) SECONDARY OBJECTIVES : To establish whether there is a difference in the MUAC value if measured on the right arm as opposed to the left, in young children To determine whether there is a difference in the MUAC value if the mid upper arm position is determined visually as opposed to being measured in the 'classical' fashion
Conditions
Conditions (4)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kwashiorkor | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Malnutrition | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Malnutrition; Degree, Moderate | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Marasmus | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (0)
Data not yet available
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (0)
[]Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- inter and intra observer variability
- timeFrame
- 2 years
- description
- Variance in result of screening for malnutrition performed by mothers with minimal training compared to 'gold-standard' fully trained health care workers. Screening will be performed with a MUAC (mid-upper arm circumference) bracelet, results will be expressed by category: SAM (severe acute malnutrition), MAM (moderate acute malnutrition) or 'normal nutritional status
Secondary outcomes (2)
- measure
- inter and intra observer variability
- timeFrame
- 2 years
- description
- The difference in millimetres in the MUAC value if measured on the right arm as opposed to the left ('classical method'), in young children
- measure
- inter and intra observer variability
- timeFrame
- 2 years
- description
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 6 Months
- Maximum age
- 59 Months
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * children present in the inpatient malnutrition treatment unit and paediatric service of the Mirriah district hospital aged between 6-59 months old * children aged between 6-59 months old in the two villages where the community phase of the study was conducted Exclusion Criteria: * children receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of Mirriah district hospital * children with bilateral oedema * children whose mothers or fathers refused consent to participate in the study
References
Publications (3)
- BACKGROUNDBriend A, Maire B, Fontaine O, Garenne M. Mid-upper arm circumference and weight-for-height to identify high-risk malnourished under-five children. Matern Child Nutr. 2012 Jan;8(1):130-3. doi: 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2011.00340.x. Epub 2011 Sep 28. PMID 21951349
- BACKGROUNDBriend A, Garenne M, Maire B, Fontaine O, Dieng K. Nutritional status, age and survival: the muscle mass hypothesis. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1989 Oct;43(10):715-26. PMID 2612460
- DERIVEDBlackwell N, Myatt M, Allafort-Duverger T, Balogoun A, Ibrahim A, Briend A. Mothers Understand And Can do it (MUAC): a comparison of mothers and community health workers determining mid-upper arm circumference in 103 children aged from 6 months to 5 years. Arch Public Health. 2015 May 18;73(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s13690-015-0074-z. eCollection 2015. PMID 25992287