Cover image: © UNICEF/UN0726766/Salvador

Are you keen on enhancing your proficiency in the care of children with wasting? Look no further.

This course offers practical skills and knowledge rooted in the latest evidence, guidelines, and best practices for early detection and treatment. Specifically designed for healthcare providers and program managers, it caters to experienced professionals needing a refresher and newcomers looking to learn the fundamentals.

It is a ready resource to learn about the 2023 WHO guidelines for the management of wasting and nutritional oedema in infants and children under five years.

The course is relevant and open to everyone in all regions, including non-UNICEF staff.

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, you will be able to: 

  1. Appreciate the scale of the wasting problem and interventions in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) and globally.
  2. Master the skills for assessing and diagnosing wasting in children.
  3. Understand the core principles of treating children with wasting.
  4. Differentiate treatment approaches based on the severity of wasting, different age groups (infants under six months and children 6-59 months), and infants at risk of poor growth and development.
  5. Learn to support carers in enhancing nutrition, stimulation, and care for children.
  6. Describe recent developments and advances in preventing and treating child wasting.

Audience

  • Front-line health care providers (midwives, nurses, pediatricians, general medical practitioners, nutritionists, and dietitians, and community health workers).
  • Health and nutrition government officials and managers at national, regional, and district levels.
  • UNICEF, United Nations, and NGO technical staff involved in the management of child wasting.

Length

You can complete the course at your preferred pace. Plan to allocate 3-4 hours per module.

Methodology

Each module is a combination of print, animated videos, and interactive content. The modules incorporate review activities, including case studies, that allow the learner to test and apply the knowledge acquired.

Structure

The course is composed of 10 modules: 

Module 1: Introduction to the Child Malnutrition

Module 2: Community Engagement and Communication

Module 3: Assessment and Triage of Malnutrition

Module 4: Moderate Acute Malnutrition

Module 5: Severe Acute Malnutrition without Complications

Module 6: Severe Acute Malnutrition with Complications (includes an abridged module for senior doctors and pediatricians)

Module 7:  Infants at-risk of poor Growth and Development

Module 8: Monitoring, Reporting, and Supply Management

Module 9: Supporting Carers in Enhancing Nutrition, Stimulation, and Care Practices

Module 10: Recent Developments in Prevention, Early Detection, and Treatment of Wasting

Download specific objectives for each module here.

  Acknowledgments

This course was developed by the nutrition section at UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO)

Lead content developers: Mueni Mutunga, Sanele Nkomani, and Roland Kupka.

Technical contributors (in alphabetical order): Chin Saw Sian, Hans-Joerg Lang,  Indi Trehan, Katherine Jobber, Nicky Dent, and Paul Binns.

Instructional designers: Ellen Kupp and Patricia Stillwell

A special thanks is extended to governments and UNICEF country offices in Indonesia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste for technical review and valuable feedback.

UNICEF recognizes the support of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), the European Union (EU), and the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for the development of this course.

Contact details

Content issues and questions: Mueni Mutunga (mmutunga@unicef.org).