Antenatal nutritional assessment: the value of upper arm circumference

Nutritional indicators such as prepregnant weight or weight increase during pregnancy are often difficult to use in developing countries. The value of the mid-upper-arm circumference was therefore analyzed in a study of 833 Mozambican gravidae, mainly seen at community level. Arm circumference was associated with both the estimated prepregnancy weight (p less than 0.0001) and the arm muscle circumference (p less than 0.0001). Of the studied women, 4% had an arm circumference below 23 cm, and 69% of these women had an estimated prepregnant weight for height below 85% of standard. An arm circumference below 25 cm was encountered in 24% of the studied group, and 11 out of these 24% were below 85% of estimated prepregnancy weight for height. In Mozambican gravidae a mid-upper-arm circumference below 25 cm is a warning of malnutrition and below 23 cm is a strong indicator of malnutrition.