Investigation of the Relationship Between Upper Middle Arm Circumference Measurement and the Gomez, Waterlow and World Health Organization Classifications Used in the Diagnosis of Malnutrition in Turkish Children Aged 1-5

Abstract

Aim: Waterlow, Gomez, and WHO Classification are used all over the world as reliable methods in the evaluation of malnutrition in children’s age group. In our study, the purpose was to evaluate the usability of Upper Middle Arm Circumference measurement in malnutrition diagnosis between the ages of 1-5 in the children of our country by investigating the relation with the other three methods. Material and Methods: A total of 1500 children, who were between the ages of 1 and 5, who applied to the clinics of Selçuk University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child Health and Diseases were included in the study. Anthropometric measurements that consisted of height, weight, and Upper Middle Arm Circumference were made for all children who participated in the study. Results: Among the 1.500 children, who were included in the study, a total of 704 were girls (46.93%), and 796 (53.07%) were boys. Upper Middle Arm Circumference measurement values were similar in girls and in boys. It was found in our study that Upper Middle Arm Circumference has better compatibility with Gomez classification in respect of sensitivity and specificity. When accepting the cut-off point value of the compatibility of Upper Middle Arm Circumference with other malnutrition classifications as 11.5 cm in respect of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values in severe diagnosis of malnutrition, it was seen that it produced better results than 11.0 cm. Conclusion: Early recognition of an important public health problem, such as malnutrition is very important for taking precautions and identifying treatment modalities. Although the Upper Middle Arm Circumference cut-off point differs among countries and regions for the diagnosis of severe malnutrition, our study showed that it would be appropriate to prefer 11.5 cm for our country.