SynthesisJournal of epidemiology2011
Meta-analysis: identification of low birthweight by other anthropometric measurements at birth in developing countries.
Synthesis in Journal of epidemiology, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of neonatal anthropometric measurements in identifying low birthweight and preterm infants in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Pooled it
- Diagnostic accuracy of neonatal foot length to identify preterm and low birthweight infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ global health · 2020Pooled it
- Guideline
- Ultrasound as a primary screening tool for detecting low birthweight newborns: A meta-analysis.Medicine · 2016Pooled it
- Anthropometric measurements as surrogate for identifying low birth weight: comparison with gold standard of measuring weight among neonates at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Accuracy and utility of newborn foot length screening tools to identify small babies by mothers in Sidama Region, Ethiopia.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Article
- Genetic regulation of body size and morphology in children: a twin study of 22 anthropometric traits.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2023Article
- Identification of anthropometric surrogate measurements and their cut-off points for the detection of low birth weight and premature newborn babies using ROC Analysis.Journal of nutritional science · 2023Article
- Use of Head and Chest Circumference Ratio as an Index of Fetal Growth Retardation in Preterm Infants.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Newborn Mid-Upper Arm Circumference Identifies Low-Birth Weight and Vulnerable Infants: A Secondary Analysis.Current developments in nutrition · 2022Article
- Prediction of Birth Weight by Using Neonatal Anthropometric Parameters at Birth in Finote Selam Hospital, Ethiopia.Pediatric health, medicine and therapeutics · 2021Article
- Anthropometric measures that identify premature and low birth weight newborns in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study with community follow-up.Archives of disease in childhood · 2020Article
- Validation and human factor analysis study of an infant weight estimation device.BMC pediatrics · 2020Article
- Improving the Information Availability and Accessibility of Antenatal Measurements to Ensure Safe Delivery: A Research-Based Policy Recommendation to Reduce Neonatal Mortality in Indonesia.International journal of women's health · 2020Article
- Anthropometric measurements can identify small for gestational age newborns: a cohort study in rural Tanzania.BMC pediatrics · 2019Article
- Do Gestational Obesity and Gestational Diabetes Have an Independent Effect on Neonatal Adiposity? Results of Mediation Analysis from a Cohort Study in South India.Clinical epidemiology · 2019Article
- The Impact of Scientific and Technical Training on Improving Databases' Adequacy for Fetal Growth Chart Development in Limited-Resource Settings: A Case Study in the Province of South Kalimantan, Indonesia.Journal of pregnancy · 2019Article
- Article
- Low-birthweight rates higher among Bangladeshi neonates measured during active birth surveillance compared to national survey data.Maternal & child nutrition · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLow birthweight should be identified early, even in developing countries where birthweight cannot be easily measured due to the absence of scales and trained staff. This meta-analysis evaluated and compared the use of other anthropometric measurements at birth to predict low birthweight.
methodsAll studies of medium to high quality (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies score ≥8) published in English were included. Bivariate random-effects meta-analysis and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curves were used.
resultsA total of 69 studies evaluated foot length or the circumference of the chest, (mid-upper) arm, or thigh (n = 8, 25, 30, and 6, respectively). Chest circumference and arm circumference had areas under the curve >0.9 (0.95 for both), pooled positive likelihood ratios >5 (8.7 and 10.3, respectively), and negative likelihood ratios <0.2 (0.13 and 0.17, respectively); thigh circumference and foot length were less accurate. There was no substantial difference between chest and arm circumference with respect to pooled sensitivity (0.88 vs. 0.84, P = 0.505), specificity (0.90 vs. 0.92, P = 0.565), or diagnostic odds ratio (67 vs. 60, P = 0.552). However, as compared with arm circumference, chest circumference showed greater clustering of observations on the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve and narrower 95% confidence and prediction regions.
conclusionsChest circumference and arm circumference have similarly high, although not confirmative, accuracy in predicting low birthweight; however, chest circumference appears to be more precise.
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