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Updated: Jul 23, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Mid-upper arm circumference in hospitalized pediatric patients with cancer: Is there an association with
Jéssica Pedro1, Renata Martucci2,3, Gina Monteiro4
1Multiprofessional Residency Program in Oncology of the National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Insights
Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) effectively assesses nutrition status in pediatric cancer patients. Lower MUAC is linked to prolonged hospital stays, highlighting its importance in patient care and predicting length of stay.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Clinical Nutrition
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Malnutrition is a significant concern in children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer.
- Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is a recommended metric by the International Society of Pediatric Oncology for assessing nutritional status.
- This study aimed to evaluate nutritional status in pediatric cancer patients and the association of MUAC with malnutrition and length of stay (LOS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the nutritional status of pediatric cancer patients.
- To determine the correlation between Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and malnutrition.
- To investigate the association between MUAC and length of stay (LOS) in this population.
Main Methods:
- An observational study included 111 pediatric patients (0-19 years) with solid and hematological neoplasms.
- Data collected included anthropometric measurements (BMI/A, weight/age, MUAC, TSF) and biochemical markers (CRP, prealbumin, albumin).
- Statistical analyses involved Student t test, Mann-Whitney test, Spearman correlation, and logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Arm anthropometry indicated a higher prevalence of malnutrition compared to other indices.
- A strong positive correlation was found between MUAC and BMI/A (ρ=0.800, P<0.001).
- MUAC, triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with prolonged LOS (P=0.025, P=0.003, P<0.001). Patients with MUAC below the fifth percentile had a 2.73 times higher chance of prolonged LOS.
Conclusions:
- Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) serves as a reliable indicator for classifying nutritional status in pediatric cancer patients.
- MUAC is a valuable tool for assessing the risk of prolonged length of stay (LOS).
- The findings support the use of MUAC in routine nutritional assessments for pediatric oncology patients.
Background:
Malnutrition is common in children/adolescents with cancer. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is recommended by the International Society of Pediatric Oncology for measuring nutrition status. The aim was to evaluate the nutrition status of pediatric patients with cancer and verify whether MUAC is associated with malnutrition and length of stay (LOS).
Methods:
This was an observational study of patients aged 0-19 years with solid and hematological neoplasms. Data included anthropometric measurements of nutrition status by body mass index/age (BMI/A), weight/age, weight/height, height/age, MUAC, mid-arm muscle circumference, triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), and biochemical measurements of characterizing inflammation (serum prealbumin level, serum albumin level, and C-reactive protein [CRP]). Statistical tests such as the Student t test, Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman correlation were employed to analyze the data. Logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis.
Results:
Of 111 patients, 51.7% (n = 57) were male, and solid tumors were prevalent (76.6%, n = 85). The median age was 8.5 years. The anthropometric measurements of the arm revealed a higher prevalence of malnutrition when compared with anthropometric indices. According to the Spearman correlation, a high and positive correlation was observed between MUAC and BMI/A (ρ = 0.800 and P < 0.001). There was an association between MUAC, TSF, and high CRP with LOS (P = 0.025, P = 0.003, and P < 0.001, respectively). Patients with a MUAC (less than the fifth percentile) had almost 2.73 times the chance of having a prolonged LOS.
Conclusion:
MUAC was a good parameter for the classification of nutrition status and the assessment of LOS in pediatric patients with cancer.
