Validation of mid-arm circumference for surveillance of obesity in African adolescent girls and adult women.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to assess the validity of mid-arm circumference (MAC), also known as mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), for classification of high body fatness in Namibian adolescent girls and women and to test whether classification accuracy of MUAC was higher than the traditional simple proxy for high fatness, the BMI. In 206 adolescent girls aged 13-19 years and 207 adult women aged 20-40 years, we defined obesity conventionally (BMI-for-age Z score ≥ 2·00, adolescents; adults BMI ≥ 30·0 kg/m²) and also defined obesity using published MAC cut-off values. ²H oxide dilution was used to measure total body water (TBW) to define high body fat percentage (≥ 30 % in the adolescents, ≥ 38 % in the adults), and we compared the ability of BMI and MAC to classify high body

SUBMITTER: Nashandi HL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10511682 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature