Identification of anthropometric surrogate measurements and their cut-off points for the detection of low birth weight and premature newborn babies using ROC Analysis

Abstract

Despite the fact that health facilities in Ethiopia are being built closer to communities in all regions, the proportion of home deliveries remains high, and there are no studies being conducted to identify low birth weight (LBW) and premature newborn babies using simple, best, alternative, and appropriate anthropometric measurement in the study area. The objective of the present study was to find the simple, best, and alternative anthropometric measurement and identified its cut-off points for detecting LBW and premature newborn babies. A health facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Dire Dawa city administration, Eastern Ethiopia. The study included 385 women who gave birth in health facility. To evaluate the overall accuracy of the anthropometric measurements, a non-parametric receiver operating characteristic curve was used. Chest circumference (AUC = 0⋅95) with 29⋅4 cm and mean upper arm circumference (AUC = 0⋅93) with 7⋅9 cm proved to be the best anthropometric diagnostic measure for LBW and gestational age, respectively. Also, both anthropometric measuring tools are achieved the highest correlation (r = 0⋅62) for LBW and gestational age. Foot length had a higher sensitivity (94⋅8 %) in detecting LBW than other measurements, with a higher negative predictive value (NPV) (98⋅4 %) and a higher positive predictive value (PPV) (54⋅8 %). Chest circumference and mid-upper arm circumference were found to be better surrogate measurements for identifying LBW and premature babies in need of special care. More research is needed to identify better diagnostic interventions in situations like the study area, which has limited resources and a high proportion of home deliveries.

Estimating gestational age using the anthropometric measurements of newborns in North Shewa Zone public hospitals, Oromia, Ethiopia

“…The possible reason for this discrepancy may be due to difference in socio-demographic characteristics and population variation between these studies. The above finding is also different from the findings of a study conducted in Eastern Ethiopia, which reported a mean and standard deviation of 8.7 (±1.4) cm ( 19 ). The possible reason for this difference may be due to the difference in socio-demographic characteristics between the two studies.…”

“…Our study revealed a chest circumference mean and standard deviation of 31.54 (±1.71) cm. This finding is consistent with the findings of a study conducted in Dire Dawa (Ethiopia) and India, which reported 31.7 (±3.09) cm and 31.85 cm (±2.19) cm, respectively ( 19 , 21 ). This finding is close to the findings of a study conducted in Jimma University Medical Center, which showed a mean and standard deviation of 32.7 (±2.3) cm ( 17 ).…”

“…In this study, the four anthropometric parameters, HC ( r = 0.483), CHC ( r = 0.482), FL ( r = 0.457), and MUAC ( r = 0.481), had a positive significant correlation with gestational age. This finding is consistent with the findings of the studies conducted in India ( 10 ), Dire Dewa Administration in Eastern Ethiopia ( 19 ), Dessie Referral Hospital in Ethiopia ( 2 ), Belgium ( 22 , 23 ), and Gondar in Ethiopia ( 24 ).…”

“…In this study, the head circumference was significantly and positively associated with gestational age ( r = 0.483). This finding is consistent with the findings of the studies conducted in China ( 25 ), three studies in India ( r = 0.52) ( 10 , 21 , 26 ), Dessie in Ethiopia ( r = 0.149) ( 2 ), and Dire Dawa in Ethiopia ( 19 ). Similarly, the chest circumference was significantly positively associated with gestational age ( r = 0.482).…”

“…The mean and standard deviation of FL found in this study was 7.76 (±0.50) cm. This finding is similar with the findings from a study conducted in Vietnam which found a mean and standard deviation of 7.4 (±0.6) cm ( 18 ), Jimma University Medical Center 7.8 (±0.5) cm, Gondar 7.41 (±0.68) cm ( 17 ) and Dire Dawa 7.84 (±1.0) cm ( 19 ).…”