Inconsistent diagnosis of acute malnutrition by weight-for-height and mid-upper arm circumference: contributors in 16 cross-sectional surveys from South Sudan the Philippines Chad and Bangladesh

摘要

BackgroundThe two anthropometric indicators of acute malnutrition in children under 5 years, i.e. a Mid-Upper Arm Circumference < 125 mm (MUAC125) or a Weight-for-Height Z-score<−2 (WHZ−2), correlate poorly. We aimed at assessing the contribution of age, sex, stunting (Height-for-Age HAZ<−2), and low sitting-standing height ratio Z-score (SSRZ in the 1st tertile of the study population, called hereafter ‘longer legs’) to this diagnosis discrepancy.