Humanitarian Academy

Nutrition

Nutrition in emergencies: screening, treating and preventing acute malnutrition

MUAC, oedema, RUTF, CMAM, breastfeeding and SMART surveys: screen, treat and prevent acute malnutrition in emergencies.

  • 4 days · 24 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 3 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 4 one-day modules
  • 3 scenarios and 12 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Explain the forms of malnutrition, their causes and the alert thresholds used in emergencies.
  • Screen, refer and follow up children and pregnant or breastfeeding women according to acute malnutrition management protocols.
  • Design a nutrition response: prevention, infant feeding, surveys, indicators and coordination.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
24 hours over 4 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
Sphere Association · World Health Organization · IFE Core Group

💼 Health and nutrition jobs

Put this course into practice: the latest jobs in this field.

See all 209 Health and nutrition jobs →

Prepare for the written test and interviewA model written test in this field, interview questions with sample answers and the STAR method.See the model test →

A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Distinguish the forms of malnutrition and their causes.
  • Measure MUAC and check for oedema.
  • Refer a child to the right programme.
  1. Day1Understanding malnutrition in emergenciesThe forms of malnutrition · Causes: the UNICEF conceptual framework · Measuring nutritional status · Thresholds and classification of the situation · Field anthropometry: measuring accurately, not just measuring · Conducting a causal analysis of malnutrition in an area · Full example: reading and interpreting survey results in Wadi-Sora district · Beyond 6-59 months: infants, women, older people and micronutrient deficiencies · Common mistakes, contextual variations and what donors look at · Interview questions and key references Scenario: The tape that changes everything
  2. Graded case study : Screening day in the village Rural village, lean season · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Apply CMAM admission and discharge criteria.
  • Calculate and interpret performance indicators.
  • Protect infant feeding in emergencies.
  1. Day2Management of acute malnutritionThe community-based approach (CMAM) · Admission, treatment and discharge · Performance indicators · Supplies and the supply chain · Organising an outpatient therapeutic programme day: the complete patient flow · Inpatient stabilisation: the ten steps and the deadly pitfalls · The targeted supplementary feeding programme and care for pregnant and lactating women · Full example: analysing the quarterly report of six OTP sites and deciding · Common mistakes, contextual variations and donor requirements · Interview questions and key references Scenario: Wednesday at the outpatient centre
  2. Day3Prevention, infant feeding and coordinationInfant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E) · Prevention and micronutrients · Assessments and surveys · The Nutrition cluster · Implementing IYCF-E: the six areas of action and the breastmilk substitute pathway · Prevention in practice: which packages, for whom, and when · Conducting a SMART survey: from sample size calculation to validation · Full example: the prevention and IYCF-E plan for Tindar camp · Working with the Nutrition Cluster: obligations, tools and day-to-day coordination · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references Scenario: A worrying donation
  3. Graded case study : A programme losing its patients Peri-urban area, six OTP sites · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Analyse a nutrition situation (SMART, IPC AMN).
  • Design a multisectoral response and calculate supply requirements.
  • Coordinate with the cluster and advocate for resources.
  1. Day4Advanced module Advanced analysis, integrated response and advocacy in nutritionThe IPC Acute Malnutrition scale · An integrated response · Calculating requirements and managing supplies · Quality, accountability and advocacy · Taking part in an IPC Acute Malnutrition analysis, step by step · Full example: calculating supply requirements and the budget for Nara-Est district · Designing an integrated response around the child and the household · Managing the quality and accountability of a nutrition programme · Building evidence-based advocacy: example of a note to donors · Common mistakes, contextual variations, interview questions and references
  2. Graded case study : Nutrition crisis in a displacement camp Camp of 45,000 people, recent influx · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Health and nutrition teams, project managers, community health workers, programme supervisors, Nutrition cluster members and anyone who wants to work in the nutrition response.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

GAM
Global acute malnutrition: the sum of MAM and SAM in a population.
MAM
Moderate acute malnutrition.
SAM
Severe acute malnutrition, with a very high risk of death.
MUAC
Mid-upper arm circumference, measured at the midpoint of the left upper arm.
RUTF
Ready-to-use therapeutic food, used to treat SAM.
CMAM
Community-based management of acute malnutrition.
OTP
Outpatient therapeutic programme.
IYCF-E
Infant and young child feeding in emergencies.
SMART
Standardised method for nutrition and mortality surveys.
IPC AMN
Area-based classification of acute malnutrition, in five phases.

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

  1. Sphere Association (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response (Food Security and Nutrition chapter). spherestandards.org/fr/manuel-2018
  2. World Health Organization (2013). Guideline: updates on the management of severe acute malnutrition in infants and children. www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506328
  3. IFE Core Group (2017). Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies: Operational Guidance. www.ennonline.net/operationalguidance-v3-2017
  4. Action Against Hunger Canada, SMART (2017). SMART Methodology Manual. smartmethodology.org
  5. UNICEF, Global Nutrition Cluster (2024). Global Nutrition Cluster. www.nutritioncluster.net