Saving children from man-made acute malnutrition in Tigray, Ethiopia: a call to action (The Lancet Global Health)
Posted: 04 Feb 2022, 21:48
Armed conflict has been raging in Tigray, a region in northern Ethiopia, since Nov 4, 2020. Some of the defining characteristics of this armed conflict are a total blockade of humanitarian aid, wanton destruction of health facilities, and the displacement of millions of people.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 These weaponised actions have exposed children in Tigray to preventable severe and moderate acute malnutrition. Thousands of civilians are facing man-made starvation and millions more acute food insecurity.6, 7
A team of experts from the College of Health Sciences at Mekelle University and the Tigray Health Bureau initiated a rapid nutrition assessment to establish the burden of child malnutrition and household food insecurity between July 15 and Aug 15, 2021. Oral consent was obtained from the mothers of the children after explaining the purpose and objectives of the study, which was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the College of Health Sciences at Mekelle University. The cross-sectional survey was done using WHO-recommended measurements (eg, mid-upper arm circumference [MUAC])8, 9, 10 and a rigorous survey methodology with strong quality assurance measures. The data were collected from 3269 children in 48 randomly selected districts of Tigray, avoiding those districts with security issues. Four kebeles (the smallest administration unit) per district and 20 households per kebele were randomly selected to be included in the rapid assessment. MUAC data were collected from the left arm of the children using MUAC tapes; household food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, which was answered by the mothers of the children. MUAC data were compared with published data from 201911 to determine the children's nutritional status. Descriptive and χ2 statistical methods were used to make a comparison between post-war and pre-war data, because both provide a survey report of malnutrition among children aged 6–59 months in Tigray. SAS 9.4 software was used for the analysis.
The analysis showed that 199 (6%) of children aged 6–59 months had severe acute malnutrition (MUAC <115 mm), 713 (22%) had moderate acute malnutrition (MUAC ≥115 mm and <125 mm), and 912 (28%) had moderate or severe acute malnutrition (MUAC <125 mm; commonly labelled as global acute malnutrition). Severe acute malnutrition increased significantly from 1% in 2019 (pre-war) to 6%, and moderate acute malnutrition increased significantly from 8% to 22% (both p<0·0001).11 Similarly, global acute malnutrition nearly tripled from 10% in 2019 to 28%, which is a staggering and sharp increase (figure). Moreover, household food security dropped significantly (p<0·0001) from 59% in 2019 to 15%, and household food insecurity (mild, moderate, or severe) increased from 41% to 85% (figure).11
Continue reading https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lang ... 7/fulltext
A team of experts from the College of Health Sciences at Mekelle University and the Tigray Health Bureau initiated a rapid nutrition assessment to establish the burden of child malnutrition and household food insecurity between July 15 and Aug 15, 2021. Oral consent was obtained from the mothers of the children after explaining the purpose and objectives of the study, which was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the College of Health Sciences at Mekelle University. The cross-sectional survey was done using WHO-recommended measurements (eg, mid-upper arm circumference [MUAC])8, 9, 10 and a rigorous survey methodology with strong quality assurance measures. The data were collected from 3269 children in 48 randomly selected districts of Tigray, avoiding those districts with security issues. Four kebeles (the smallest administration unit) per district and 20 households per kebele were randomly selected to be included in the rapid assessment. MUAC data were collected from the left arm of the children using MUAC tapes; household food insecurity was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, which was answered by the mothers of the children. MUAC data were compared with published data from 201911 to determine the children's nutritional status. Descriptive and χ2 statistical methods were used to make a comparison between post-war and pre-war data, because both provide a survey report of malnutrition among children aged 6–59 months in Tigray. SAS 9.4 software was used for the analysis.
The analysis showed that 199 (6%) of children aged 6–59 months had severe acute malnutrition (MUAC <115 mm), 713 (22%) had moderate acute malnutrition (MUAC ≥115 mm and <125 mm), and 912 (28%) had moderate or severe acute malnutrition (MUAC <125 mm; commonly labelled as global acute malnutrition). Severe acute malnutrition increased significantly from 1% in 2019 (pre-war) to 6%, and moderate acute malnutrition increased significantly from 8% to 22% (both p<0·0001).11 Similarly, global acute malnutrition nearly tripled from 10% in 2019 to 28%, which is a staggering and sharp increase (figure). Moreover, household food security dropped significantly (p<0·0001) from 59% in 2019 to 15%, and household food insecurity (mild, moderate, or severe) increased from 41% to 85% (figure).11
Continue reading https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lang ... 7/fulltext