Moderate Acute Malnutrition - Signs to Look Out For
Malnutrition is a serious condition that affects children when their diet does not contain sufficient nutrients to support their growth. The leading causes of malnutrition are poor nutrition, reduced absorption of micronutrients, increased losses, or altered requirements. Malnutrition causes severe health issues in children under the age of 5 and in severe cases, proves to be fatal. Moderate Acute Malnutrition , while not as serious as Severe Acute Malnutrition, is harmful to children because it increases child mortality and exposure to nutrition-related diseases. MAM can be due to a low weight-for-height (wasting) or a low height-for-age (stunting) or a combination of both. Moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) , defined as weight-for-height z-score (WHZ) between −2 and −3 or mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) between 115 millimeters and <125 millimeters - World Health Organization WHY IS MODERATE ACUTE MALNUTRITION A MATTER OF CONCERN? Although malnutrition is