Mid Upper Arm Circumference in Pregnant Women and Birth Weight in Newborns as Substitute for Skinfold Thickness: Findings from the MAASTHI Cohort Study, India.

Abstract Background: Estimating fat deposition in public hospitals using gold-standard measurements such as high-resolution imaging is unaffordable and it is challenging to use skinfold thickness. We aimed to identify the appropriate substitute marker for skinfold thickness to estimate fat deposition in pregnant women and infants.Methods: The study is part of a prospective cohort study titled, MAASTHI in Bengaluru, from 2016-19. Anthropometric measurements such as body weight, head circumference, mid upper arm circumference (MUAC), and skinfold thickness were measured in pregnant women between 14 to 36 weeks of gestational age; while measurements such as birth weight, head, chest, waist, hip, mid upper arm circumference, and skinfold thickness were recorded for newborns. We calculated Kappa statistics to assess agreement between these anthropometric markers with skinfold thickness. Results: We found the highest amount of agreement between total skinfold thickness and MUAC (Kappa statistic, 0.42; 95% CI 0.38-0.46) in pregnant women. For newborns, the highest agreement with total skinfold thickness was with birth weight (0.57; 95% CI 0.52-0.60). Our results indicate that MUAC higher than 29.2 cm can serve as a suitable alternative to total skinfolds-based assessments for obesity screening in pregnancy in public facilities. Similarly, a birth weight cut-off of 3.45 kg can be considered for classifying obesity among the newborns. Conclusions: Mid upper arm circumference and birth weight can be used as markers of skinfold thickness, reflecting fat deposition in pregnant women and the infant, respectively. These two anthropometric measurements could substitute for skinfold thickness in low- and middle-income urban India settings.

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Mid-upper arm circumference in pregnant women and birth weight in newborns as substitute for skinfold thickness: findings from the MAASTHI cohort study, India

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-021-03915-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Giridhara R. Babu ◽

Aritra Das ◽

Eunice Lobo ◽

Deepa R ◽

Daisy A. John ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Body Fat ◽

Skinfold Thickness ◽

Upper Arm ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Total Body Fat ◽

Total Body ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference

Abstract Background Estimating total body fat in public hospitals using gold-standard measurements such as air displacement plethysmography (ADP), deuterium oxide dilution, or dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is unaffordable, and it is challenging to use skinfold thickness. We aimed to identify the appropriate substitute marker for skinfold thickness to estimate total body fat in pregnant women and infants. Methods The study is part of a prospective cohort study titled MAASTHI in Bengaluru, from 2016 to 19. Anthropometric measurements such as body weight, head circumference, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and skinfold thickness were measured in pregnant women between 14 and 36 weeks of gestational age; while measurements such as birth weight, head, chest, waist, hip, mid-upper arm circumference, and skinfold thickness were recorded for newborns. We calculated Kappa statistics to assess agreement between these anthropometric markers with skinfold thickness. Results We found the highest amount of agreement between total skinfold thickness and MUAC (Kappa statistic, 0.42; 95 % CI 0.38–0.46) in pregnant women. For newborns, the highest agreement with total skinfold thickness was with birth weight (0.57; 95 % CI 0.52–0.60). Our results indicate that MUAC higher than 29.2 cm can serve as a suitable alternative to total skinfolds-based assessments for obesity screening in pregnancy in public facilities. Similarly, a birth weight cut-off of 3.45 kg can be considered for classifying obesity among newborns. Conclusion Mid-upper arm circumference and birth weight can be used as markers of skinfold thickness, reflecting total body fat in pregnant women and the infant, respectively. These two anthropometric measurements could substitute for skinfold thickness in low- and middle-income urban India settings.

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Mid-upper arm circumference in pregnant women and its relation to birth weight

Revista de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/s0034-89101998000200002 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 112-117 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Anamaría E. Ricalde ◽

Gustavo Velásquez-Meléndez ◽

Ana Cristina d'A. Tanaka ◽

Arnaldo A.F. de Siqueira

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Head Circumference ◽

Upper Arm ◽

Maternal Nutritional Status ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Mother’S Age ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference ◽

Pregnancy Weight

OBJECTIVE: In order to determine the relationship between some maternal anthropometric indicators and birth weight, crown-heel length and newborn's head circumference, 92 pregnant women were followed through at the prenatal service of hospital in S. Paulo, Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The following variables were established for the mother: weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference, pre-pregnancy weight, gestational weight gain and Quetelet's index. For the newborn the following variables were recorded: birth weight, crown-heel length, head circumference and gestational age by Dubowitz's method. RESULTS: Significant associations were noted between gestational age and newborn variables. In addition, maternal mid-arm circumference (MUAC) and pre-pregnancy weight were found to be positively correlated to birth weight (r=0.399; r=0.378, respectively). The multivariate linear regression shows that gestational age, mother's arm circumference and pre-pregnancy weight continue to be significant predictors of birth weight. On the other hand, only gestational age and mother's age was associated with crown-heel length. Similarly MUAC was significantly associated with crown-heel length (r= 0.306; P=0.0030). CONCLUSION: Maternal mid-upper arm circumference is a potential indicator of maternal nutritional status. It could be used in association with other anthropometric measurements, instead of pre-pregnancy weight, as an alternative indicator to assess women at risk of poor pregnancy outcome.

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Maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) in Early Pregnancy as Predictors of Low Birth Weight Infants

Advanced Science Letters ◽

10.1166/asl.2018.12679 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (8) ◽

pp. 6203-6205

Author(s):

Yoga Dwi Oktavianda ◽

Syahru Ramadhan ◽

Thalia Mufida ◽

Ummul Mukminin ◽

Rima Irwinda

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Nutritional Status ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Early Pregnancy ◽

Upper Arm ◽

Maternal Nutritional Status ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference

Low birth weight is one of the determinants of infant mortality, morbidity, and disability, which can even have an impact on the future. Several studies have suggested that the condition of low birth weight (LBW) infants is influenced by the lack of maternal nutritional status in early pregnancy. Moreover, the prevalence of malnutrition in Indonesia is still high. Therefore, this study attempted to analyze the relationship of maternal nutritional status in early pregnancy as a predictor of LBW infants. Using a cross-sectional study design, this study involved 62 pregnant patients aged 20–35 years who had antenatal visits and a term delivery at Puskesmas Kecamatan Cakung. The measurements of body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in early pregnancy are used to determine the maternal nutritional status. Pregnant women with BMI <18.5 or MUAC <23.5 cm are considered to have less nutritional status. Meanwhile, LBW infants are defined as babies with birth weight <2500 grams. This study proves that the risk of birth of LBW infants is increased in pregnant women with BMI <18.5 (underweight) (OR 5.37) and less MUAC (OR 20.4).

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Mid upper arm circumference in pregnant women and its relationship with birth weight

Panacea Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.18231/j.pjms.2021.067 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 331-335

Author(s):

Surendra Nath Soren ◽

Partha Sarathi Sahu

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Care Facility ◽

Health Care Facility ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Upper Arm ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference

: Mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) is considered as a good indicator of maternal nutritional status in pregnant women. Very few studies have been done to establish a relationship between MUAC and birth weight of newborn. This study was carried out to analyze the relationship between MUAC and birth weight of newborn in a tertiary health care facility.This cross sectional study was conducted in 240term pregnant women. MUAC was measured to the nearest millimeters using a non-stretchable tape at the midpoint between acromian process and olecranon process. Newborn baby weight was measured within 24 hrs of birth. The association between MUAC and birth weight was established by linear regression analysis.The mean of MUAC among pregnant women delivering LBW was 21.68±2.27 cm which was significantly low (p<0.001) compared to women delivering normal babies (23.47±2.56 cm). There wasa positive correlation(r=0.32;p<0.05)between MUAC and birth weight of newborn.The cut off value of MUAC for the prediction of LBW in our study was found to be 22.59 cm with 62.77% sensitivity and 71.55% specificity.Among the various maternal factors for the prediction of LBW, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) can be correlated with birth weight outcome effectively.

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Anthropometry and body composition of south Indian babies at birth

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/phn2006943 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 896-903 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

S Muthayya ◽

P Dwarkanath ◽

T Thomas ◽

M Vaz ◽

A Mhaskar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Birth Weight ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Skinfold Thickness ◽

Fat Free Mass ◽

Upper Arm ◽

South Indian ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference ◽

The Relationship

AbstractObjectivesTo assess the consequences on body composition of increasing birth weight in Indian babies in relation to reported values in Western babies, and to assess the relationship between maternal and neonatal anthropometry and body composition.DesignProspective observational study.SettingBangalore City, India.SubjectsA total of 712 women were recruited at 12.5±3.1 weeks of gestation (mean±standard deviation, SD) and followed up until delivery; 14.5% were lost to follow-up. Maternal body weight, height, mid upper-arm circumference and skinfold thicknesses were measured at recruitment. Weight and body composition of the baby (skinfold thicknesses, mid upper-arm circumference, derived arm fat index and arm muscle index; AFI and AMI, respectively) were measured at birth in hospital.ResultsThe mean±SD birth weight of all newborns was 2.80±0.44 kg. Birth weight was significantly related to the triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness of the baby. In a small number of babies with large birth weight for gestational age, there was a relatively higher normalised AFI relative to AMI than for babies with lower or appropriate birth weight for gestational age. Maternal height and fat-free mass were significantly associated with the baby's length at birth.ConclusionsSkinfold thicknesses in Indian babies were similar to those reported in a Western population with comparable birth weights, and the relationship of AFI to birth weight appeared to be steeper in Indian babies. Thus, measures to increase birth weight in Indian babies should take into account possible adverse consequences on body composition. There were no significant relationships between maternal anthropometry and body composition at birth on multivariate analysis, except for sum of the baby's skinfold thicknesses and maternal fat-free mass (P<0.02).

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Anthropometric surrogates to identify low birth weight babies: hospital based cross-sectional study

International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics ◽

10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20193732 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (5) ◽

pp. 2098

Author(s):

Jyothi S. D. ◽

Raghavendra Doddamani

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Anthropometric Measurements ◽

Upper Arm ◽

Thigh Circumference ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Low Birth Weight Babies ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference

Background: Birth weight acts as a crucial sensitive and reliable tool to prevent infant and child morbidity and mortality. There has been a considerable interest in recent years for using simple anthropometric measures as an alternative to birth weight. Objective of the study is to determine the cut off values of the anthropometric measurements and to assess the accuracy of the anthropometric surrogates to identify low birth weight babiesMethods: This is a cross sectional study conducted for a period of one year from 1st Dec 2011 to 31st Nov 2012 at Christian fellowship hospital, Oddanchatram, Dindigal, Tamilnadu. Study population included all the live newborns of term gestation at the hospital. A total of 500 newborns were included in the study during the period. Birth weight of the newborn was measured using spring scale to the nearest 25 grams. Head circumference, Chest circumference, Mid Upper Arm Circumference, Foot Length, Thigh circumference, Calf circumference, Crown-hell length were measured using proper guidelines to the nearest 0.1 cm.Results: In the present study, low birth weight was present in 262 (52.4%) of the newborns. Thigh circumference with cut off value of 15 cm had higher sensitivity and specificity of 97.5% and 80.9% respectively. It was followed by Mid upper arm circumference with cut off value of 10 cm, sensitivity of 81.5% and specificity of 93.9%. Thigh circumference and mid upper arm circumference had high area under curve of 0.949 and 0.855 respectively. All the anthropometric measurements were statistically significant at 5% level of significance.Conclusions: Thigh circumference with a cut off of 15 cm, followed by mid upper arm circumference of 10 cm were the better surrogate anthropometric measurements with better sensitivity, specificity to identify low birth weight babies.

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Utility of Arm Circumference as a Screening Instrument to Identify Women at Nutritional Risk

Tropical Doctor ◽

10.1177/004947559402400408 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 164-166 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

V C Rodrigues ◽

R S Phaneendra Rao ◽

A Lena

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Screening Test ◽

Anthropometric Measurements ◽

Nutritional Risk ◽

Upper Arm ◽

Predictive Values ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Sensitivity Specificity ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference ◽

Study Setting

Anthropometric measurements of 567 healthy non-pregnant women aged 20–40 years were studied to assess the utility of mid-upper-arm-circumference as a screening test to detect malnutrition. The prevalence of malnutrition in the study sample was 38.4%. A cut-off point of 24 cm was found to be most appropriate in the study setting as at that level the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values were 71.1%, 69.6% and 59.4%, respectively.

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Determinants of low birth weight among live birth newborns delivered at public hospitals in Gamo Gofa Zone, South Ethiopia: Unmatched case control study

SAGE Open Medicine ◽

10.1177/2050312120940544 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 205031212094054

Author(s):

Alemu Basazin Mingude ◽

Woiynshet Gebretsadik ◽

Dresilgn Misker ◽

Gashaw Garedew Woldeamanuel

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Adjusted Odds Ratio ◽

Public Hospitals ◽

Upper Arm ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference ◽

Control Study

Background: Birth weight is one of the major determinants of perinatal survival, infant morbidity, and mortality. There are only few published reports on assessment of low birth weight in Ethiopia and the determinants of low birth weight have not been well characterized. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess determinants of low birth weight among live birth newborns delivered at public hospitals in Gamo Gofa Zone, South Ethiopia. Methods: Institution-based case control study was conducted from February 25 to April 25, 2018 and consecutively selected 60 cases and 240 controls were enrolled in this study. The data were collected using face-to-face interview and review of medical records. Moreover, we have measured the newborns’ birth weight using a standard weight scale and mother’s mid-upper arm circumference using a standard World Health Organization mid-upper arm circumference measuring tape. Statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 300 newborns were included in the study. Late antenatal care booking (adjusted odds ratio = 1.87, confidence interval = [1.32–2.6]), birth interval <2 years (adjusted odds ratio = 0.385, confidence interval = [0.176–0.83]), anemia (adjusted odds ratio = 4.4, confidence interval = [1.84–10.5]), mid-upper arm circumference <23 cm (adjusted odds ratio = 7.99, confidence interval = [3.5–20.3]), nutritional counseling (adjusted odds ratio = 5.85, confidence interval = [2.14–14.8]), and husband smoking (adjusted odds ratio = 4.73; confidence interval = [1.42–15.7]) were found to be determinant factors of low birth weight. Conclusion: Most of the determining factors of low birth weight were preventable. Therefore, clinical and public health interventions should target on those determinant factors to prevent its adverse effects.

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Description of Pregnant Women's Nutritional Status Based on The Mid-Upper Arm Circumference in Sundari Medan General Hospital In 2019

Sumatera Medical Journal ◽

10.32734/sumej.v3i3.3309 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

Author(s):

David Franli ◽

Makmur Sitepu ◽

Hotma Partogi Pasaribu ◽

Sake Juli Martina

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Status ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

General Hospital ◽

Upper Arm ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Arm Circumference ◽

Energy Stores ◽

Cross Sectional Design ◽

Mid Upper Arm Circumference ◽

Observational Descriptive Study

Introduction. Chronic energy deficieny (CED) is a condition of a body characterized by low body weight and low energy stores, possibly limited physical capacity due to deprivation of food over a long period time. Ministry of Health ( Kemenkes) showed that in 2015, 305 out of 100.000 death of pregnant women is realated to malnutriotion and CED. Objective. The aim of this study is to determine the overview of pregnant women nutritional status based on mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in Sundari Medan General Hospital. Method. The study was an observational descriptive study with a cross sectional design. The samples of this study consists of pregnant women from Sundari Medan Genaral Hospital, who had fulilled the inclusion and esclusion criteria by total sampling. Results.. Among 60 samples, the prevalance of Non-CED woman (85%) was found higher than the mild malnutrition (15%). Conclusion. Prevalance of CED pregnant women was found higher in risky age, middle educated and high income family.

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