The National Nutrition Council CAR conducted virtual MUAC Tool Orientation held via zoom conference and broadcasted live in the Cordillera Nutri-Abung Facebook Group- a private group for Nutrition Movers in the Cordillera Region. A total of 264 Nutrition Action Officers, City/ District Nutrition Program Coordinators, Barangay Nutrition Scholars and other allied health and nutrition workers in the region attended.
With the continuous provision of essential health services during pandemic as mentioned in the DOH Department Circular No. 2020-0167, the conduct of Operation Timbang Plus, nutrition screening and growth monitoring and promotion activities must continue. However, in highly at risk COVID-19 areas where weight and length/weight measurement are not advisable, Department Memorandum 2020-037 and NNC Memo 10, s. 2020 suggest the use of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC).
MUAC is an alternative measure of “thinness” to weight-for-height. It is particularly used in children from 6 months to 59 months and used to indicate wasting or acute malnutrition during screening at the community level and admission for treatment at the health facility or the PIMAM Program.
The step-by-step use of MUAC was illustrated and demonstrated during the activity. Barangay Nutrition Scholars in Dolores and Tayum, Abra also performed a virtual return demonstration in taking a child’s MUAC.
Nutrition Officer III Bella Basalong of NNC-CAR also presented the e-OPT tool for Acute Malnutrition to help in speedy processing of the nutritional status of the children in the barangay. It is similar to the structure and method of encoding, consolidation and auto-generation of reports as the original e-OPT tool. Additional features of the tool included filterable list of MAM and SAM based on MUAC and weight-for-length/height and recording presence of bilateral pitting edema.
Included in the topics discussed were the nutrition related policies and advisories released by DOH and NNC. Ms. Maligpas of DOH-CHD-CAR also gave an update in the FHSIS.
The LGUs are expected to continue the provision of nutrition services to the community and to comply with the policies and guidelines for the safe conduct of OPT Plus and GMP activities.
/VMD/BMB/RDP