Abstract
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) remains a main cause of mortality among children under five years old. Vietnam needs further study to establish the optimal mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) cutoff for improving the accuracy of the MUAC indicator in screening SAM children aged 6–59 months. A survey was conducted at all 16 subdistricts across four provinces in Northern Midlands and mountainous areas. The data of 4,764 children showed that an optimal MUAC cutoff of 13.5 cm would allow the inclusion of 65% of children with weight-for-height z-scores (WHZs) below −3SD. A combination of MUAC and WHZ may achieve a higher impact on therapeutic feeding programs for SAM children. The MUAC cutoff of 13.5 cm (65% sensitivity and 72% specificity) should be used as the cutoff for improving and/or preventing SAM status among children under 5 in the Midlands and mountainous areas in Vietnam.
Highlights
Management of Acute Malnutrition Consultant To provide technical assistance in updating and implementing Viet Nam’s Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition Guidelines in line with the 2013 WHO Guideline Update and latest evidence for Management of Acute Malnutrition in Infants Viet Nam and remote support 15 days (Viet Nam: 8 days; Country of residence: 7 days) 1 October 2014 Nutrition Specialist, Child Survival and Development SectionWith around 2 million children under 5 years of age with stagnated height for their age (27 per cent), Viet Nam is among the countries in the world with the highest burden of stunting
Each year more than 700,000 children under 5 years of age develop moderate or severe wasting in Viet Nam, manifested by low weight for height - more commonly referred to as acute malnutrition
The geographical distribution of acute malnutrition follows the same pattern as stunting, and the latest nutrition surveys show that many of the ethnic minority groups have prevalence above internationally recognized emergency levels
Summary
Management of Acute Malnutrition Consultant To provide technical assistance in updating and implementing Viet Nam’s Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition Guidelines in line with the 2013 WHO Guideline Update and latest evidence for Management of Acute Malnutrition in Infants Viet Nam and remote support 15 days (Viet Nam: 8 days; Country of residence: 7 days) 1 October 2014 Nutrition Specialist, Child Survival and Development Section. The consultancy will contribute to the availability of updated National IMAM Guidelines in line with the latest WHO guidance and best practice These guidelines will be further submitted by the National Institute of Nutrition and Maternal and Child Health Department to the Minister of Health for official approval and implementation in December 2014. The consultancy will contribute to the capacity development of national institutions, including the major national and provincial teaching hospitals, to facilitate further roll out of the training course and conduct supervisory monitoring of the compliance with the National IMAM Guidelines at provincial and district hospitals
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