Evaluation of the family-led MUAC component of an integrated package of interventions to reduce wasting in Chad and Mali

Elodie Becquey, Ampa D. Diatta, Loty Diop, Talla Fall, Lieven Huybregts, Moctar Ouedraogo, Abdoulaye Sawadogo and Touré, Mariama

No April 2023, Research reports from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Abstract: • Family-led MUAC, where caregivers and other household members screen their own children regularly to detect child wasting early-on, is a promising strategy to boost screening coverage leading to more children with wasting to be referred and enrolled in available treatment services.; • In settings with regular active screening for wasting by community care groups in Chad and Mali, family-led MUAC had limited reach and effectiveness, thus contributing few additional cases detected, referred, and enrolled in wasting treatment services. • The introduction of family-led MUAC remained below expectation because the anticipated monthly home visits (main delivery platform) represented too much of a workload for volunteers. Monthly group sessions can be a suitable platform to train households to apply family-led MUAC on the condition that the attending number of caregivers per session is capped to allow for a more individualized approach. • Less than half of the households disposing of MUAC tapes screened their children monthly. The main reason reported for non-adoption was lack of knowledge and confidence on how to conduct the measurements, which calls for better training of caregivers and more social support to conduct the measurements. • Both the inadequate introduction by community volunteers, as well as the poor adoption by households of family-led MUAC resulted in a low reach of monthly screening by households (up to 10% in Chad and up to 25% in Mali). • Caregivers were able to measure their children’s MUAC accurately, and caregiver knowledge of family-led MUAC was moderate (Mali) to very high (Chad). • The short duration of the IRAM program (7-9 months), due to the COVID-19 crisis, may have hampered a continuous learning process leading to improvement of family-led MUAC over time.

Keywords: households; child wasting; recuperation; malnutrition; Chad; Mali; Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fpr:resrep:139058

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