Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Nutritional anthropometry--validity of cut-off points

T Ramnath1, K Vijayaraghavan, N P Rao

  • 1National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Jamai-Osmania, PO Hyderabad.

Journal of Tropical Pediatrics
|August 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

This study introduces a new percentile ratio method for assessing child undernutrition, offering standard-independent cut-offs. It highlights the need for age-specific levels and critiques existing classifications for potential overestimation of malnutrition.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Intermediate and long-term residual cardiovascular risk in patients with established cardiovascular disease treated with statins.

Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine·2024
Same author

National control programme against nutritional blindness due to vitamin A deficiency: Current status & future strategy.

The Indian journal of medical research·2019
Same author

Integrase Resistance-Associated Mutations on Raltegravir Failure in Western India: A Preliminary Analysis.

Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)·2018
Same author

Valorisation of post-sorption materials: Opportunities, strategies, and challenges.

Advances in colloid and interface science·2017
Same author

Portulaca grandiflora as green roof vegetation: Plant growth and phytoremediation experiments.

International journal of phytoremediation·2016
Same author

Dracaena marginata biofilter: design of growth substrate and treatment of stormwater runoff.

Environmental technology·2015

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Science
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Accurate assessment of child undernutrition is crucial for public health interventions.
  • Existing methods for classifying undernutrition, such as weight-for-age and height-for-age, have limitations in their application and interpretation.
  • The Gomez and Indian Academy of Paediatrics classifications are widely used but may misclassify individuals and overestimate prevalence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose an alternative method for establishing cut-off levels for identifying undernourished children using percentile ratios.
  • To evaluate the validity of current weight-for-age and height-for-age cut-off levels.
  • To differentiate between normal, undernourished, and severely undernourished children based on body weight and height.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Development of a novel approach using the ratio of percentiles to derive cut-off levels for nutritional status.
  • Analysis of existing weight-for-age (Gomez, Indian Academy of Paediatrics) and height-for-age classifications.
  • Comparison of proposed cut-off levels with existing standards and their impact on classification accuracy.

Main Results:

  • The proposed percentile ratio method yields cut-off levels that are independent of reference standards, allowing for universal application.
  • Separate cut-off levels for preschool and school-aged children are recommended, as a common threshold leads to a >5% loss in sensitivity.
  • The 90th percentile cut-off in the Gomez classification was found to misclassify normal children as undernourished, inflating the perceived prevalence of malnutrition.
  • Nutritional status determined by the suggested cut-off points correlates with the prevalence of signs of Protein-Energy Malnutrition (PEM), with greater weight deficits linked to higher PEM prevalence.

Conclusions:

  • The percentile ratio method offers a robust and adaptable approach to assessing child undernutrition.
  • Age-specific cut-off levels are essential for accurate nutritional assessment in different pediatric age groups.
  • Current classification systems may require revision to improve accuracy and avoid overestimation of undernutrition prevalence, particularly in community settings.