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American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 23, 83-93, Copyright © 1970 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

An Evaluation of the Relationship between Nutritional Status and Anthropometric Measurements

K. VISWESWARA RAO M.A.1 and DARSHAN SINGH M.SC.1

1 From the Nutrition Research Laboratories, Indian Council of Medical Research, Tarnaka, Hyderabad-7, India

The relative merits of anthropometric measurements commonly used in nutrition surveys and the interrelationship between the various measurements were assessed using data obtained on 3,100 preschool children surveyed in some rural areas in and around Hyderabad City.

Children of each age (1 to 5 years) and sex were classified into three groups: normals, without any nutritional deficiency signs; PCM, children suffering from protein-calorie malnutrition; and children showing signs of vitamin deficiencies.

The relative importance of various anthropometric measurements was assessed in these three groups of children through comparison of their median values and correlation coefficients between anthropometric measurements. A close relationship was observed between severity of protein-calorie malnutrition on the one hand and weight, weight-height, and calf circumference on the other. The measurements of children with signs of vitamin deficiencies and of normals were similar. Sex and age did not seem to modify the relationship between the different anthropometric measurements. The indices, weight-height2 and weight-head circumference6.5, based on the linear relationship between weight, height, and head circumference, were found to be independent of age and sex in normal children. Of these two, weight-height2 was significantly lower in children with PCM but not in children with signs of vitamin deficiencies. The ratio showed a close association with other measurements, which are accepted as reflecting protein-calorie nutritional status.

The suitability of this index for detection of early cases of protein-calorie malnutrition in field studies, where determination of age is not always possible, are discussed.






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Copyright © 1970 by The American Society for Nutrition