A comparative study of the commonly used nutritional assessment tools for primary health care

This is a community-based, cross-sectional study of the three commonly recommended nutritional assessment tools, namely, weight for age (as the Road to Health Chart), weight as a percentage of standard weight for height (as the Thinness Chart), and mid-upper arm circumference (as the Shakir strip). The study was done in the Igbo-ora Community of Oyo-State. Done on 204, one to four year old children, the study shows that all the methods show high levels of correlation with each other's classification of the children. Compared with the Thinness Chart and the physicians standardised clinical assessment, the epidemiological usefulness of the Shakir strip as one point screening tool for severely malnourished children can be improved by the use of 13.5cm rather than the 12.5cm previously recommended at the cut-off point for individuals patient intervention. This cut-off is therefore recommended for the use of the Shakir strip in this locality for the situations where its use is found appropriate. Compared with the other assessment methods, the borderline class interval of the Thinness chart as currently recommended appears too wide. Far too many children, apparently normal even by weight for age, were classified in the borderline category by that instrument. It is therefore recommended that the interval should also be narrowed down for a more adequate use of that instrument in this locality.