MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) cut-off for diagnosing Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in children aged 6-59 months is:

• A Less than 12.5 cm
• B Less than 13.5 cm
• C Less than 10 cm
• D Less than 11.5 cm ✓

Explanation

MUAC < 11.5 cm (red zone) diagnoses Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in children aged 6-59 months and is used for rapid community screening. MUAC 11.5-12.5 cm (yellow zone) indicates Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). MUAC ≥ 12.5 cm (green zone) is normal. MUAC is preferred over weight-for-height in field settings as it requires minimal equipment and correlates strongly with mortality risk.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.