Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Emergency weight estimation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the Northern Territory: are the
1National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
Insights
The Broselow Tape accurately estimates weight in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-5 years during emergencies. This length-based method is recommended for paediatric weight estimation in the Northern Territory.
Area of Science:
- Paediatric Emergency Medicine
- Clinical Biometrics
- Indigenous Health Research
Background:
- Accurate weight estimation is critical for paediatric emergency care, yet current methods lack validation in specific populations.
- Traditional weight estimation techniques often rely on age or length, with varying degrees of accuracy.
- The specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in remote communities require tailored validation of these methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the accuracy of various paediatric weight estimation methods in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from remote Northern Territory communities.
- To identify the most reliable method for estimating children's weight in emergency situations within this demographic.
- To provide evidence-based recommendations for clinical practice in remote paediatric emergency care.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective descriptive study analyzed measured weights and heights of 2102 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from remote Northern Territory locations.
- Evaluated methods included APLS, 'Best Guess', Luscombe and Nelson's formulae, Argall's modification, Broselow® and Sandell® tapes, and WHO growth charts.
- Statistical analysis focused on adjusted R-squared values and mean percentage error (MPE) to assess accuracy and precision.
Main Results:
- Length-based methods demonstrated superior performance compared to age-based formulae.
- The Broselow® Tape achieved the highest adjusted R-squared value (0.8886) across all age groups.
- The Broselow® Tape exhibited the best accuracy and precision, with a mean percentage error of -0.35%.
Conclusions:
- The Broselow® Tape is recommended for weight estimation in emergency settings for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-5 years in the Northern Territory.
- This study highlights the importance of validating weight estimation tools in diverse paediatric populations.
- Findings support the Broselow® Tape as a reliable tool for critical paediatric care in remote Australian settings.
Objective:
During a paediatric emergency, it is often impractical to weigh a child. Many resuscitative measures require a child's weight; therefore, estimation is often used. Different methods are available to do this, usually based on a child's age or length. The accuracy of these methods has not been validated in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from remote communities. The objective of this study was to determine how well these paediatric emergency weight estimation methods predict weight for this group of children.
Method:
A retrospective descriptive study using the measured weights and heights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from remote locations across the Northern Territory (NT) was used. The weight estimation methods chosen to evaluate were the APLS, 'Best Guess', Luscombe and Nelson's formulae, Argall's modification, the Broselow® and Sandell® tapes, and the World Health Organization standard reference growth charts. Adjusted R-squared values for each method are reported, and agreement was measured in terms of mean percentage error (MPE).
Results:
A total of 2102 children were included. The length-based methods performed the best. The Broselow Tape had the highest adjusted R-squared value at 0.8886 in all age groups. The APLS, Luscombe and Argall's methods were the worst performing methods. The Broselow® Tape was also the best performing in terms of accuracy and precision, with an MPE of -0.35% (95% CI -0.82-0.1).
Conclusion:
Our data support the use of the Broselow® Tape as the recommended method when estimating weight in an emergency for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the NT for the 0-5 year age group.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Temperature Measurement Sites
Oral: When assessing oral temperature, the thermometer tip should be placed under the tongue in the posterior sublingual pocket. It offers accurate readings and can be...
01:21Drug Dosing: Obese Patients
01:29Drug Dosing: Infants and Children
01:17Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution