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Updated: Aug 30, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
[Assessment of mid-upper arm circumference as a method for obesity screening in preschool children]
Carlos A N de Almeida1, Luiz A Del Ciampo, Rubens G Ricco
1Pediatria, Universidade de São Paulo. carlosnogueira@directnet.com.br
Insights
Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) to age z-score is an effective tool for screening obesity in preschool children. This method offers an adequate alternative for identifying obese children when compared to MUAC to height z-scores.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Nutritional Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing global health concern.
- Effective screening tools are crucial for early detection and intervention in preschool-aged children.
- Current screening methods may have limitations in accessibility or accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the efficacy of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) for obesity screening in preschool children.
- To compare the diagnostic performance of MUAC-to-age z-scores versus MUAC-to-height z-scores.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 1,090 children aged 12 to 59.99 months.
- Collection of anthropometric data including weight, height, and MUAC.
- Calculation of sensitivity and specificity for MUAC-to-age and MUAC-to-height z-scores to identify obesity (defined as weight-to-height z-score >2).
Main Results:
- 6.6% of the study population met the criteria for obesity.
- MUAC-to-age z-score achieved optimal sensitivity (76.5%) and specificity (77.9%) at a z-score of 0.7.
- MUAC-to-height z-score showed optimal sensitivity (79.4%) and specificity (77.6%) at a z-score of 0.6.
Conclusions:
- MUAC-to-height z-score did not offer significant advantages over MUAC-to-age z-score for obesity screening.
- MUAC-to-age z-score is a viable and adequate alternative method for identifying obesity in preschool children.
- This finding supports the potential use of MUAC measurements in routine pediatric health assessments.
Objective:
To evaluate if mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) can be used for obesity screening in preschool children.
Methods:
1,090 children aged from 12 to 59.99 months were studied. Personal information, weight, height and MUAC were obtained. Sensitivity and specificity to detect obese children were calculated for MUAC to age and MUAC to height z scores. Obesity was defined as weight to height z score >2.
Results:
6.6% of the children had a weight to height z score >2. The best association between sensitivity (76.5%) and specificity (77.9%) to detect obese children for MUAC to age was obtained with a z score of 0.7. In terms of MUAC to height, the best association between sensitivity (79.4%) and specificity (77.6%) to detect obese children was obtained with a 0.6 score.
Conclusions:
MUAC to height z score was not advantageous for obesity screening when compared to MUAC to age z score. MUAC to age z score seems to be an adequate alternative method for obesity screening in preschool children.
