Use of mid-upper arm circumference for determining overweight and overfatness in children and adolescents

Craig, E., Bland, R., Ndirangu, J. and Reilly, J. J. (2014) Use of mid-upper arm circumference for determining overweight and overfatness in children and adolescents. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 99(8), pp. 763-766. (doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2013-305137)

Abstract

Objective: To assess the use of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) for identification of overweight and overfatness in rural South African children and adolescents.<p></p> Methods: Anthropometric data (weight, height, MUAC and % body fat) from a cross-sectional sample of 978 black South African 5–14-year-olds were analysed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined the validity of MUAC as a proxy for determining overweight and overfatness.<p></p> Findings: Area under the curve (AUC) results were generally high. Boys and girls aged 10–14 years had ROC-AUC for overfatness classed as ‘excellent’, 0.97 and 0.98 respectively. Cut-points in the MUAC distribution which optimised the ROC-AUC for identification of overfatness and obesity were determined for boys and girls aged 5–9 and 10–14 years, and had high sensitivity and specificity.<p></p> Conclusions: MUAC may have potential for clinical and surveillance applications as an accurate yet simple and widely available indicator of overweight and overfatness in children and adolescents in resource-poor settings.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bland, Dr Ruth
• Authors: Craig, E., Bland, R., Ndirangu, J., and Reilly, J. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: Archives of Disease in Childhood
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• ISSN: 0003-9888
• ISSN (Online): 1468-2044
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Archives of Disease in Childhood 99(8):763-766
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License