Comparative study of stunting measurement in children using WHO procedure and Growth Length Mat in Ghana

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Accurate measurement of child stunting is crucial for early intervention.
• The Growth Length Mat (Stunting Mat) offers a direct method for stunting assessment.
• Validation of the Stunting Mat in diverse settings like Ghana is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Growth Length Mat against the WHO-recommended procedure for stunting measurement in Ghanaian children.
• To assess the acceptability and interpretability of both measurement methods among mothers and healthcare givers.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 163 children aged 6-24 months in Ghana's Bono region.
• Stunting prevalence was determined using the Growth Length Mat and the WHO procedure.
• Qualitative assessment of user acceptability and interpretability of both methods.

Main Results:

• Stunting prevalence was 3.7% with the Mat versus 11.7% with the WHO procedure.
• The Mat demonstrated low sensitivity (21.0%) but high specificity (98.6%).
• The Mat was more accurate for younger children and found easy to interpret by users.

Conclusions:

• The Growth Length Mat is less sensitive than the WHO procedure for detecting child stunting, particularly in younger children.
• The Mat exhibits high specificity and user acceptability, suggesting potential for improvement.
• Re-designing the Stunting Mat could enhance its accuracy and utility in low-resource settings for stunting assessment.