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Updated: Jun 12, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Measurement of mid-upper arm circumference to screen for childhood malnutrition: General applicability and use in
Patricia Becker1, Susan Abdel-Rahman2, Dan Nemet3
1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit/Nutrition Clinic, Dayton's Children's Hospital, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Insights
Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is an underused but valuable tool for screening pediatric malnutrition. This article provides guidance for clinicians to improve its implementation and diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Pediatric malnutrition screening has improved since 2014 but remains underdiagnosed in some settings.
- Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is an underutilized anthropometric measure for pediatric malnutrition screening.
- Existing indicators are not consistently applied, leading to missed diagnoses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To educate clinicians on the effective use of MUAC for pediatric malnutrition screening.
- To highlight the advantages and specific clinical applications of MUAC.
- To provide practical guidance on MUAC measurement and interpretation.
Main Methods:
- A scientific roundtable convened experts in pediatric malnutrition in December 2022.
- Discussion focused on anthropometric measures, particularly MUAC, as screening tools.
- The resulting article serves as an educational resource.
Main Results:
- MUAC offers unique advantages and is useful in various clinical scenarios for malnutrition screening.
- Practical aspects of MUAC measurement and interpretation are detailed.
- Areas for future research on MUAC in pediatric nutrition screening are identified.
Conclusions:
- Increased utilization of MUAC can improve the screening and diagnosis of pediatric malnutrition.
- Clinicians need practical guidance and education to effectively implement MUAC measurements.
- Further research is warranted to optimize MUAC's role in pediatric nutrition assessment.
Abstract:
Since the development of consensus-recommended indicators for pediatric malnutrition in 2014, screening and diagnosis of pediatric malnutrition have improved, but the indicators are not always used; malnutrition continues to be underdiagnosed in some community and healthcare settings. In particular, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is underused as a screening indicator for pediatric malnutrition, despite its unique advantages and usefulness in several clinical situations. In December 2022, a scientific roundtable was held to bring together several experts in pediatric malnutrition. One of the goals of the scientific roundtable was to discuss the clinical use of anthropometric measures as screening tools for pediatric malnutrition status, with a focus on the use of MUAC. This article arose from that event and is intended as an educational tool to aid clinicians in implementing MUAC measurements. In addition to describing the use of MUAC as a screening tool, the article discusses several clinical situations in which MUAC is especially useful. Additionally, the article reviews practical aspects of measuring and interpreting MUAC values, provides links to additional educational resources, and briefly reviews areas in which further research is needed regarding the use of MUAC for screening of nutrition status in children.
