TUGUEGARAO CITY, CAGAYAN-----The National Nutrition Council Region 02 and Cagayan Valley Center for Health Development conducted virtual training on Family MUAC for barangay-level implementers of municipality of Alcala in Cagayan Province via Google Meet last 22 March 2021.

Family mid-upper arm circumference (Family MUAC) screening is a community screening approach which empowers mothers, caregivers, and other family members to screen their own children at home or in their community for acute malnutrition using standard MUAC tapes. This approach will facilitated early detention of acute malnutrition for immediate referral to health centers or referral hospitals.

Mr. Edzell Arcinue, Nutrition Officer III of NNC R02, explained that family MUAC approach underwent study in 2011, wherein the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) began studying the feasibility of training mothers to use mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) as a method to screen for malnutrition in Niger. This study addressed two recurring problems in nutrition programs: late diagnosis/presentation of children with moderate and severe acute malnutrition and coverage of 50%, only half of children in need of malnutrition treatment are reached.

Hence, with these pieces of evidence and limited number of health workers especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF introduced the Family MUAC approach to be used in the Philippines to address the same problems in the nutrition programs in the country, particularly in the Philippine Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (PIMAM).

Moreover, Maria Gisela M. Lonzaga, Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator of NNC R02, discussed the continuous provision of essential health services during pandemic as mentioned in the DOH Department Circular No. 2020-0237, 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 2020-0237 and NNC Memo 10, s. 2020 suggest the use of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC).

MUAC is an alternative measure of “thinness” or weight-for-height of children. 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 for the PIMAM Program.

The step-by-step use of MUAC was illustrated and demonstrated during the activity.

The LGUs are expected to utilize the family MUAC with their ten (10) pilot barangays and will update NNC R02 about the roll-out of the activity.####JNLB