The Family MUAC Approach in Ethiopia

Malnutrition is a major public health concern in Ethiopia, where recurrent shocks, seasonal food insecurity and disease outbreaks continue to affect children’s health and nutrition. This learning paper presents Concern Worldwide’s experience piloting the Family MUAC approach in Somali Region, Ethiopia, through the Irish Aid-funded CHC programme in West Imey and Raso woredas.

Family MUAC trains mothers and caregivers to screen children aged 6-59 months at home using colour-coded Mid-Upper Arm Circumference tapes and to check for oedema. This enables families to identify signs of acute malnutrition earlier and seek care from health posts or health centres.

The paper explains how the approach was implemented through existing health systems, including training for mothers, health workers, Health Extension Workers (HEWs) and community volunteers. It highlights key results from the pilot, including 118 trained mothers, 445 MUAC tapes distributed or pre-positioned, and 782 caregiver-led nutrition self-referrals between October 2023 and August 2024. It also captures practical lessons on caregiver engagement, referral accuracy, MUAC tape supply, treatment stock gaps and community acceptance, and provides recommendations for embedding Family MUAC within routine health and community systems.