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Arm tape (MUAC)

Where there is no scale, the arm tape is how malnutrition gets found. Measure the middle of the upper arm, left side, arm hanging loose, and read the number here. It works with the phone offline.

AgeMeasurementUnit

How to measure

Left arm, hanging loose by the side, not tensed.
Find the middle point between the shoulder and the elbow.
Wrap the tape there, snug but not tight enough to press the skin in.

What the number means

< 115 mm — severe acute malnutrition, according to the WHO
115 – 125 mm — moderate acute malnutrition, according to the WHO
≥ 125 mm — does not fall into either of the WHO's two bands. The tape screens; it does not say the child is well fed

The tape and the weight-for-height chart find different children, so the WHO asks for both when there is a scale.

Source: WHO — Guideline: Updates on the management of severe acute malnutrition in infants and children (2013).