Mid-upper arm circumference in pregnant women and birth weight in newborns as substitute for skinfold thickness: findings from the MAASTHI cohort study, India

Abstract

Background Estimating total body fat in public hospitals using gold-standard measurements such as air displacement plethysmography (ADP), deuterium oxide dilution, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is unaffordable, and it is challenging to use skinfold thickness. We aimed to identify the appropriate substitute marker for skinfold thickness to estimate total body fat in pregnant women and infants. Methods The study is part of a prospective cohort study titled MAASTHI in Bengaluru, from 2016 to 19. Anthropometric measurements such as body weight, head circumference, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and skinfold thickness were measured in pregnant women between 14 and 36 weeks of gestational age; while measurements such as birth weight, head, chest, waist, hip, mid-upper arm circumference, and skinfold thickness were recorded for newborns. We calculated Kappa statistics to assess agreement between these anthropometric markers with skinfold thickness. Results We found the highest amount of agreement between total skinfold thickness and MUAC (Kappa statistic, 0.42; 95 % CI 0.38–0.46) in pregnant women. For newborns, the highest agreement with total skinfold thickness was with birth weight (0.57; 95 % CI 0.52–0.60). Our results indicate that MUAC higher than 29.2 cm can serve as a suitable alternative to total skinfolds-based assessments for obesity screening in pregnancy in public facilities. Similarly, a birth weight cut-off of 3.45 kg can be considered for classifying obesity among newborns. Conclusion Mid-upper arm circumference and birth weight can be used as markers of skinfold thickness, reflecting total body fat in pregnant women and the infant, respectively. These two anthropometric measurements could substitute for skinfold thickness in low- and middle-income urban India settings.

Evaluating Association of Maternal Nutritional Status With Neonatal Birth Weight in Term Pregnancies: A Cross-Sectional Study With Unexpected Outcomes

“…Previous studies have also used this method to evaluate the maternal malnutrition and its association with birth weight [ 11 , 12 ]. A study conducted in India suggested that MUAC and birth weight measurement can substitute other complicated methods of evaluating maternal malnourishment in lower-income or underdeveloped countries [ 13 ]. Researchers have credited about 50% of LBW cases to maternal nutritional factors both prior to and during the pregnancy [ 14 ].…”

Factors associated with emotional eating in female college students

“…The process was repeated three times. The average was calculated and recorded (Babu et al. , 2021; Pekcan, 2020).…”

Nutritional status among pregnant adolescents at maternity teaching hospital

“…MUAC is measured by a non-stretchable tape of the circumference of the left upper arm in centimeters. The point of measurement was between the tip of the shoulder and the elbow 14 . The AnthroPlus software was used to calculate the z-score of (height and BMI) for age, and chart percentile of height for age and BMI for ages 17 .…”

“…[6] Al-Akaishi et al 6 found a high frequency of teenage pregnancy in Iraq as a developing country compared to other developed countries and attributed it to cultural and religious norms. They also reported that adolescent's fertility rate in Iraq in 2012 was 69 per 1000 women aged 15-19 years whereas in Syria (42), Iran (32), Turkey (31), Jordan (26), Kuwait (14), and Saudi Arabia (10).…”

“…Measuring Mid-upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) during pregnancy avoids the need for complex expensive equipment and calculations, and it is a good indicator of pre-pregnancy body fat and nutrition 14 . The majority of research has only examined MUAC before or after birth; information on variations in MUAC values during pregnancy is rare.…”