Nutritional assessment of infants and preschool children using two different anthropometric criteria of...

A comparison of two criteria for assessing malnutrition in infants and children has been carried out in a sample of 184 healthy infants and children grouped according to two different anthropometric criteria: considering the quantity of body mass for linear dimension by the ratio W/H; and considering the degree of wasting according to weight for height (WH). Biochemical studies were also carried out in each child and correlated with body systems of classification. Total amino acids in serum and eryhtrocytes, the non-essential/essential amino acid ratio in serum and erythrocytes, total serum proteins and the albumin/alpha globulin ratio were investigated. The results showed that both criteria were closely related, the linear regression between them was highly significant (r = 0.931). Nevertheless, the W/H criterion classified as undernourished a higher proportion of children, because it included those of delayed biological age though not malnourished. On the contrary, WH only classified as undernourished those who probably have actual malnutrition. Biochemical studies showed significant correlations with both criteria but higher r values were found for W/H in some cases. Thus, classification on the basis of WH including the analysis of the degree of wasting and of stunting, is satisfactory for individual and community assessment, but it should include the classification of overweights. It must be stressed that both systems, being based on weight as the basis of classification, do not consider body composition and therefore can only assess whole body mass and thus only approximate the nutritional status.