Field use of hair epilation force in nutrition status assessment

The nutritional status of 69 Nigerians, age 1 month to 75 yr was assessed with the Krumdieck trichotillometer, which measures the force required to epilate a hair (epilation force, EF). EF of normal subjects (serum albumin greater than or equal to 3.5 g/dl) was 36.5 +/- 9.5 mg (mean +/- SD)). EF was significantly lower (25.7 +/- 10.6 g) in malnourished subjects (serum albumin less than or equal to 3.0 g/dl). EF correlated significantly with weight-for-height, mid-arm circumference, mid-arm muscle circumference, and serum albumin (r = 0.36, 0.32, 0.30, and 0.30, respectively, (p less than 0.05), but did not correlate significantly with triceps skinfold. These findings are in agreement with the clinical impression that hair pluckability is affected more by protein depletion than by energy depletion. The trichotillometer may be a useful tool in assessment of protein nutritional status in the field since it requires little training, and no laboratory.