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New Classification Based on Anthropometric Indicators for Assessing Dual Burden of Malnutrition in Young Children
Author(s) -
Sibrian Ricardo,
Fulladolsa Patricia Palma
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.897.5
Subject(s) - anthropometry , malnutrition , medicine , wasting , overweight , body mass index , standard score , environmental health , weight for age , obesity , pediatrics , gerontology , mathematics , statistics
Objective Current classifications of nutritional anthropometry for assessing magnitude and nature of malnutrition in preschool children such as those proposed by Waterlow et al (1977), Svedberg (2000), Nandy et al (2005) and Nandy y Svedberg (2012) are insufficient for guiding food and nutrition security public policies. This study propose a new classification of nutritional anthropometry identifying normal nutrition condition and nutritional failure conditions due to deficiency as well as excess providing guidelines for actions of public food and nutrition policies. Methods The proposed Malnutrition Anthropometric Index (MAI) and its components are combined traditional categories of the standardized nutritional anthropometric indexes of height for age (HAZ), body mass index (BMIZ) and weight for age (WAZ). HAZ with two categories: stunting (HAZ<−2) and normal growth (HAZ≥ −2); BMIZ with three categories: wasting (BMIZ<−2), normal nutrition (−2≤BMIZ≤+2) and overweight or obesity (BMIZ>+2); and WAZ with three categories: low weight for age (WAZ<−2), normal weight for age (−2≤WAZ≤+2) and high weight for age (WAZ>+2). Using feasible combinations of HAZ, BMIZ and WAZ categories, the MAI is the summation of children with eleven malnutrition conditions over the total number of children. The analysis was performed in 426 children from six to 59 months of age from 14 rural bordering communities from Central America. Results Almost one half of children (48.8%) were normal, hence the MAI was 51.2%, of which 31.9% were stunted, 10.8% stunted and low in weight for their age, 3.1% stunting with overweight or obesity (dual burden), 2.8% overweight or obesity, 0.9% overweight or obese with high weight for their age, 0.5% stunting and low weight for their age with overweight or obesity (dual burden) and 1.2% of other four malnutrition conditions. Dual burden of malnutrition occurred in 3.6% of children. Overweight or obesity of children may become a public nutrition problem with 7.3% prevalence even in rural areas. Conclusions Anthropometric assessments must include malnutrition conditions due to deficiencies and excess as well as dual burden indicators such as the conditions of the MAI components for a better guide to policy designers and decision makers of strategies, programmes, projects and actions with impact on the food and nutrition security of populations.