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Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 1983 29(3):159-166; doi:10.1093/tropej/29.3.159
© 1983 by Oxford University Press
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The Use of Arm Circumference in Simplified Screening for Acute Malnutrition by Minimally Trained Health Workers

MARIJKE I. VELZEBOER, Dr PH, Vice President of Pueblo to People, BEATRICE J. SELWYN, ScD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, FREDERICK SARGENT, II, MD, Professor of Human Ecology (deceased), ERNESTO POLLITT, PhD, Professor of Nutrition and Behavioral Sciences and HERNAN DELGADO, MD, MPH, Scientific Medical Officer

Division of Human Development, INCAP

Please address correspondence to: Dr. B. J. Selwyn; The University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health; Post Office Box 20186, Houston, Texas 77025

This study investigated the observer reliability of arm circumference measures (AC) with respect to the conventionally used indices of weight for height and weight for age when all these measures are obtained under field conditions of door-to-door screening by minimally trained health personnel.

Data were collected in a Guatemalan village from 127 children aged 12 to 60 months. Five health promoters were selected by the community and were trained to measure height, weight and AC. A trained anthropometrist measured the children under ideal conditions and the promoters measured children in the community. Remeasurement was made on a sample of children to establish intra-observer variability.

The AC measures of promoters had the highest correlation with anthropometrist measures (0.8881) compared to weight for age (0.8756) and weight for height (0.7588). Field reliability of AC and weight for age measures varied little between promoters, but weight for height exhibited a large range of reliability.

The principal implication of this study is that, under field conditions, minimally trained workers make fewer and smaller errors in screening children 12 to 60 months of age with AC than with either weight for age and weight for height.


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