Review of simplified approaches for the provision of care to children with acute malnutrition.

Acute childhood malnutrition is a major public health issue, affecting millions of children worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This phenomenon leads to increased risks of mortality and co-morbidities, as well as long-term cognitive impairment for survivors. Despite significant progress in reducing childhood wasting, a third of severely malnourished children do not receive timely treatment. To combat this problem, various management strategies have emerged, including simplified approaches such as the use of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) to detect malnutrition, management by community health workers, and the integration of treatments for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Initiatives such as the Family MUAC approach and optimizing the management of acute malnutrition (OptiMA) aim to train families, community workers and community volunteers to identify signs of malnutrition at an early stage. New WHO protocols call for enriched nutrition and the use of standardized treatments to improve management. The OptiMA approach, tested in Burkina Faso, combines these methods to offer a more effective and less costly treatment. These so-called simplified approaches need to be continually evaluated and adjusted to local contexts to maximize their impact and minimize the risk of relapse.