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Maternal Mid–Upper Arm Circumference Is Associated With Birth Weight Among HIV‐Infected Malawians
Author(s) -
Ramlal Roshan T.,
Tembo Martin,
Soko Alice,
Chigwenembe Maggie,
Ellington Sascha,
Kayira Dumbani,
King Caroline C.,
Chasela Charles,
Jamieson Denise,
van der Horst Charles,
Bentley Margaret E.,
Adair Linda S.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
nutrition in clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1941-2452
pISSN - 0884-5336
DOI - 10.1177/0884533611435991
Subject(s) - medicine , anthropometry , odds ratio , breastfeeding , confidence interval , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , obstetrics , birth weight , gestation , low birth weight , antiretroviral therapy , pediatrics , pregnancy , viral load , immunology , biology , genetics
The authors examined the relationship of maternal anthropometry to fetal growth and birth weight among 1005 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected women in Lilongwe, Malawi, who consented to enrollment in the Breastfeeding, Antiretrovirals, and Nutrition Study ( www.thebanstudy.org ). Anthropometric assessments of mid–upper arm circumference (MUAC), arm muscle area (AMA), and arm fat area (AFA) were collected at the baseline visit between 12 and 30 weeks’ gestation and in up to 4 follow‐up prenatal visits. In longitudinal analysis, fundal height increased monotonically at an estimated rate of 0.92 cm/wk and was positively and negatively associated with AMA and AFA, respectively. These latter relationships varied over weeks of follow‐up. Baseline MUAC, AMA, and AFA were positively associated with birth weight (MUAC: 31.84 g/cm 2 , 95% confidence interval [CI], 22.18‐41.49 [ P < .01]; AMA: 6.88 g/cm 2 , 95% CI, 2.51‐11.26 [ P < .01]; AFA: 6.97 g/cm 2 , 95% CI, 3.53‐10.41 [ P < .01]). In addition, MUAC and AMA were both associated with decreased odds for low birth weight (LBW; <2500 g) (MUAC: odds ratio [OR] = 0.85, 95% CI, 0.77‐0.94 [ P < .01]; AMA: OR = 0.95, 95% CI, 0.91‐0.99 [ P < .05]). These findings support the use of MUAC as an efficient, cost‐effective screening tool for LBW in HIV‐infected women, as in HIV‐uninfected women.