D2a

A community-led smartphone tool for malnutrition screening in Kenya

Datos Bibliográficos

ID22073303
AutoresRavi Bhavnani (0000-0001-6501-5682, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies), Nina Sophia Link (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies)
Año2026
Volumen13
Páginas1695850-1695850
Fecha de publicación2026-02-27
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
EditorialFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2025.1695850
PMID41836107
OpenAlexW7131877828
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas46

Timely assessments of child acute malnutrition are essential for effective treatment and prevention of undernutrition. We developed a simple smartphone app, D2A (“Data to Analysis”), to enable regular self-collection of Family MUAC (Mid-upper Arm Circumference) and key household drivers of wasting by mothers and caregivers. Based on a seven-month pilot study with 180 households, we explore the acceptance, accuracy, and cost of app-based self-collection of Family MUAC with and without the assistance of Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) relative to paper-based nutrition screenings. Results indicate: (i) similar classification accuracy of wasted children; (ii) no difference in participant dropout rates and a 15% higher completion rate for CHV-assisted reporting by households (compared to no assistance); (iii) lower cost for app-based collection amortized over seven months. Preliminary evidence suggests that self-reporting by households via smartphone apps constitutes a feasible alternative to less frequent, more costly paper-based nutrition screening, the latter more susceptible to interruption in remote, hard-to-access areas

Community health · Data collection · Family health · Low and middle income countries · Low income · Malnutrition · Smartphone application · Wasting · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Global Maternal and Child Health · Mobile Health and mHealth Applications