Global Acute Malnutrition
Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) is a measurement of the nutritional status of a population that is often used in protracted refugee situations. Along with the Crude Mortality Rate, it is one of the basic indicators for assessing the severity of a humanitarian crisis.[1]
Definition
To evaluate levels of GAM, workers in an emergency measure the weight and height of children between 6 and 59 months. They then use the results as a proxy for the health of the population as a whole. The weight to height index is compared to the same index for a reference population that has no shortage of nutrition. All children with weight less than 80% of the median weight of children with the same height in the reference population, and/or suffering from
An alternative definition is that a child suffers from GAM if their weight to height ratio is less than the value at -2 standard deviations on the
The World Health Organization also defines other measures of malnutrition including
MUAC measurement, if conducted by well-trained staff, can give a quick assessment of new arrivals at a camp. It is based on the observation that this measurement does not change much in children between six months and five years old, so comparison to a "normal" measurement is useful. Based on analysis of field results, MUAC < 125mm corresponds to GAM and MUAC < 110mm with or without oedema corresponds to SAM.[3]Interpretation
If 10% or more of children are classified as suffering from GAM, there is generally considered to be a serious emergency, and with over 15% the emergency is considered critical.[1] According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a famine is declared if three conditions exist. First, at least 20% of households face extreme food shortages with limited ability to cope. Second, GAM prevalence exceeds 30%. Third, crude death rates exceed two persons per 10,000 per day. In 2011, the conditions in some parts of the Horn of Africa met all three criteria.[4]
Objectives and results
The
References
- ^ a b c d "Glossary: Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM)". Complex Emergency Database. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ a b "Acute Malnutrition Summary Sheet" (PDF). Save the Children. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ ISBN 0-443-06242-0.
- ^ "Ten FAQ for famine in southern Somalia". UNICEF. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ "FY 2005 Performance and Accountability Report". U.S. State Department. November 2005. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- ^ Mary Corbett, Allison Oman (January 2006). "Acute Malnutrition in Protracted Refugee Situations: A Global Strategy" (PDF). UNHCR/WFP. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
External links
- "WEST AFRICA - Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) Prevalence" (PDF). ReliefWeb. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- "Global Acute Malnutrition Prevalence (Z-score NCHS reference) – DRC" (PDF). ReliefWeb. April 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
- "Complex Emergency Database (CE-DAT) - the international repository of health indicators, including GAM, from crisis settings". CRED. September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-14.