Mid-upper arm circumference in pregnant women and its relation to birth weight

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: In order to determine the relationship between some maternal anthropometric indicators and birth weight, crown-heel length and newborn's head circumference, 92 pregnant women were followed through at the prenatal service of hospital in S. Paulo, Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The following variables were established for the mother: weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference, pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain and Quetelet's index. For the newborn the following variables were recorded: birth weight, crown-heel length, head circumference and gestational age by Dubowitz's method. RESULTS: Significant associations were noted between gestational age and newborn variables. In addition, maternal mid-arm circumference (MUAC) and pre-pregnancy weight were found to be positively correlated to birth weight (r=0.399; r=0.378, respectively). The multivariate linear regression shows that gestational age, mother's arm circumference and pre-pregnancy weight continue to be significant predictors of birth weight. On the other hand, only gestational age and mother's age was associated with crown-heel length. Similarly MUAC was significantly associated with crown-heel length (r= 0.306; P=0.0030). CONCLUSION: Maternal mid-upper arm circumference is a potential indicator of maternal nutritional status. It could be used in association with other anthropometric measurements, instead of pre-pregnancy weight, as an alternative indicator to assess women at risk of poor pregnancy outcome.

Maternal dietary and nutritional characteristics as predictor of newborn birth weight in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia, 2017

“…In this study it was observed that for a centimeter increase in maternal MUAC, birth weight increased by 13.5 g (β=13.5, P=0.04). Simillar positive association was observed in a study conducted in Brazil where for each centimeter increase in maternal MUAC, there was 45.52 increased in birth weight (Ricalde et al, 1998). Another study conducted in Ethiopia also showed that maternal MUAC of 23+ was positively associated with birth weight (Wado et al, 2014).…”

Maternal anthropometry in rural and urban areas of Ogun-East senatorial district, Nigeria: A comparative study

“…Some studies have used maternal MUAC values as indicators of poor pregnancy outcomes; maternal MUAC was also found to be positively correlated with birth weight and other newborn anthropometry (Ricaldo et al, 1998;Elshibly and Schmalisch, 2008;Elshibly and Schmalisch, 2009). Although the mid -upper arm circumference tape has been widely acknowledged as a tool for determining the nutritional status of children several years ago, not many studies have documented MUAC as an indicator of nutritional status in adults.…”

“…The mid-point between the acromion process and the olecranon was taken as the site for measurement of the midupper arm circumference. This was recorded in centimeters (cm) (Ricaldo et al, 1998;UNICEF, 2009 …”

“…Ricaldo et al (1998) studied 92 pregnant women who were followed through at the prenatal service of a hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, showing significant association between gestational age and newborn variables. Maternal MUAC and pre-pregnancy weight were found to be positively correlated to birth weight.…”

Energy and protein intake during pregnancy in relation to preterm birth: A Case Control Study

“…To overcome the limitation of paucity of information on maternal diet, we also measured Maternal Mid Upper Arm Circumference which is reported to be a potential indicator of chronic nutritional status [13]. Recall method for estimating dietary intake and approximation of quantity of food consumed were the other limitations.…”