The determination of anthropometric cut-off points for protein-energy malnutrition using the maximum chi-squared...

The Wellcome cut-off points for the classification of protein-energy malnutrition are arbitrary values. A simple technique, with the use of maximum chi-squared statistics, for the determination of cut-off points for anthropometric indicators for the assessment of malnutrition is presented. This technique has been applied to pre-school-age children in Lae, Papua New Guinea. In this population the cut-off points for the anthropometric indicators related to age, of body weight, height, triceps skinfold, arm circumference and arm muscle circumference, have been determined as 87%, 90%, 97%, 93% and 100%, respectively, of the international standards.