This is the first time that the national values are published for Indian children older than five years
A large chunk, 28 per cent of Indian children, suffer from malnutrition. In light of this, the National Family Health Survey-4 has described Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) values and cut-offs for thinness in the’ Nutrition’ journal.
MUAC is measured by wrapping a tape around the middle of a child’s upper arm, a low-cost method for identifying malnutrition. Cut-offs for thinness were 16 cm and 18.5 cm for 5-9 years and 10-14 years respectively, in both sexes.
Mid-Upper Arm Circumference has been suggested, especially for children below 5 years at increased risk for mortality during famine or refugee crisis
It was 22 cm in boys and 20 cm in girls in the 15-17 age bracket. For obesity, it was 20 cm for 5-9 years and 25.5 cm for 10-14 years in both girls and boys. A rounded cut-off of 29 cm in boys and 27 cm in girls in the 15-17 age group was proposed.
According to a paediatric endocrinologist at the Hirabai Cowasji Jehangir Medical Research Institute (HCJMRI) under the Jehangir hospital in Pune, Dr Vaman Khadilkar, for Indian children older than five years, this is the first time that the national values are published.
“While undernutrition is more common in rural children, obesity is seen in around 1 in 5 children in urban areas,” lead author Dr Anuradha Khadilkar from HCJMRI said.
The study assessed nutritional levels in 6,680 healthy Indian children. It was carried out by HCJMRI in Pune together with doctors/health professionals from Surya Children’s Hospital and Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, McMaster University in Canada and Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, USA.
The data may also be used in children with cancer and other chronic disorders with growth failure.
MUAC has thus been suggested, especially for children below five years at increased risk for mortality during famine or the refugee crisis.
