Role of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference for Determining Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of obesity in adolescents and children has risen to alarming levels globally and this has led to serious public health consequences. Aim:To assess the use of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) in the identification of overweight and obesity in North Indian children and adolescents. Materials and Methods:The study was conducted in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, India, from October 2014 to November 2015. Anthropometric data (weight, height and MUAC) was collected from a cross-sectional sample of 875 children aged 5-14 year old. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined the validity of MUAC as a proxy for determining overweight and obesity.Results: Area Under the Curve (AUC) results were generally high (0.92 -0.98). The accuracy level of MUAC for identifying obesity was high in both sexes and across age groups (overall AUC of 0.95, sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 90%). The MUAC cut-off to identify BMI defined obesity was 18.8 cm and 19.4 cm for boys and girls of 5-9 age group; 23 cm and 23.3 cm for boys and girls of 10-14 age group.Conclusion: MUAC may have potential for clinical and surveillance applications as an accurate yet simple and widely available indicator of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in resourcepoor settings.

Intergenerational changes in limb circumferences in children and adolescents aged 3‐18 from Kraków (Poland) from 1983 to 2010

“…Children with higher values of these parameters are characterized by larger circumferences of the limbs than their peers with a normal mass (Almeida et al, ; Dasgupta et al, ). This shows the usefulness of these traits as predictors of excessive body weight and body fat (Chaput et al, ; Jaiswal, Bansal & Agarwal, ; Mazıcıoğlu et al, ).For example, arm circumference measurement is characterized by 95% sensitivity and 90% specificity with regard to body fat. Calf circumference, though previously used for a similar purpose mainly in the elderly population, may also be useful for children (Gavriilidou, Pihlsgård & Elmståhl, ; Júnior et al, ).…”

Potential of mid-upper arm circumference to replace body mass index as a screening tool for assessment of nutritional status: A study among a rural elderly population in eastern India

“…[13,[22][23][24][25][26][27] Most of the above-mentioned studies have investigated MUAC for undernutrition, and this might be due to the fact that still in low, middle-income countries, undernutrition is more important public health problem then overnutrition. Our results are in concurrence with one of currently available MUAC values for the elderly, i.e.…”

Prevalence of Undernutrition and Overweight or Obesity Among the Bengali Muslim Population of West Bengal, India

“…Nutrition transition have taken place in developing countries which led to the transition from undernutrition to overweight or obesity in populations. 33 Although, this type of transition may lead to the reduction of infectious diseases and mortality-morbidity associated with it but it may increase the burden to several preventable non-communicable and lifestyle diseases and incurred economic expenditures.…”

“…A steady increase in the prevalence of overweight or obesity has been reported from different Indian populations. 3,[17][18][19][20][21]25,[31][32][33] Recent studies have also suggested that this 'double burden' is becoming increasingly apparent in addition to the burden of non-communicable diseases affecting developing countries such as India. 2,10,22,34,35 However, undernutrition still remains a consistent public health problem among populations in the country.…”