Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT01790815

Mothers Understand And Can do it - Mid Upper Arm Circumference Screening for Malnutrition Performed by Mothers

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

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Marasmus Deficiency Diseases Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases Immune System Diseases Immunoproliferative Disorders Kwashiorkor Lymphatic Diseases Lymphoma Lymphoma, Follicular Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoproliferative Disorders Malnutrition Malnutrition; Degree, Moderate Neoplasms Neoplasms by Histologic Type Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Protein Deficiency Protein-Energy Malnutrition Severe Acute Malnutrition

Age range

6 month–59 month

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Mirriah Health District

Mirriah, Niger

About this study

Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and its complications are major causes of death in under 5s in the developing world. A simple, reproducible, scalable way to recognise acute malnutrition and target early intervention would be a huge advance. Can mothers with limited training reliably measure and interpret the results of Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC), a measurement performed with a MUAC measuring tape costing $0.06? MUAC contrasts with Z-score (WHZ), which requires both scales and a height gauge, both health worker interventions susceptible to considerable error, sensitive to non-nutritional factors, requiring calculations and growth curves, yet much less accurate in predicting risk of death compared with MUAC.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. inter and intra observer variability

    Time frame: 2 years

    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

  1. inter and intra observer variability

    Time frame: 2 years

    The difference in millimetres in the MUAC value if measured on the right arm as opposed to the left ('classical method'), in young children

  2. inter and intra observer variability

    Time frame: 2 years

    The difference in the MUAC value in millimetres if the mid upper arm position is determined visually as opposed to being measured in the 'classical' fashion

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Alliance for International Medical Action

Other

Collaborators

  • Bien Être de La femme et de L'Enfant au Niger

Registry information

Official study title

Mothers Understand And Can do it - Mid Upper Arm Circumference Screening for Malnutrition Performed by Mothers of Children < 5 Years Old

Acronym: MUAC

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2012
Study completion
2012
First posted
Feb 13, 2013
Registry last updated
Dec 10, 2013

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.