Mid-upper arm circumference as a screening tool for identifying adolescents with thinness.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate the performance of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) to identify thinness in the late adolescence period (aged 15-19 years) in Ethiopia.

Design

We conducted a school-based cross-sectional study. The receiver operating characteristics curve was used to examine the validity of MUAC compared with BMI Z-score to identify adolescents with thinness (BMI Z-score <-2 sd).

Settings

Fifteen high schools (grade 9-12) located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Participants

A total of 851 adolescent (456 males and 395 females) were included in the study.

Results

The prevalence of thinness and severe thinness among high-school adolescents in Addis Ababa was 9·5 % (95 % CI 7·7, 11·7 %). The overall AUC for MUAC against BMI Z-score <-2 SD was 0·91 (95 % CI

SUBMITTER: Sisay BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10195468 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature