Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32727437›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2020

Mid-upper arm circumference as an indicator of underweight in adults: a cross-sectional study from Nepal.

Lene Thorup, Sophie Amalie Hamann, Per Kallestrup, Vibeke Elisabeth Hjortdal, Ashish Tripathee, Dinesh Neupane, Cecilie Blenstrup Patsche

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 43 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Lene ThorupDepartment of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Skejby, Aarhus N, Denmark. Lenethorup@clin.au.dk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5208-8353
Sophie Amalie HamannCenter for Global Health (GloHAU), Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Per KallestrupCenter for Global Health (GloHAU), Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Vibeke Elisabeth HjortdalDepartment of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Skejby, Aarhus N, Denmark.
Ashish TripatheeWestern Regional Hospital, Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal.
Dinesh NeupaneDepartment of Epidemiology, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.
Cecilie Blenstrup PatscheCenter for Global Health (GloHAU), Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Aarhus University · DKJohns Hopkins University · USWestern Regional Hospital · NP

Funding

Lundbeckfonden R184-2014-2478
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUndernourished people have an increased risk of premature mortality from both infectious and non-communicable diseases. Aside from screening purposes, assessment of nutritional status is a useful tool in management and evaluation of various chronic diseases. Body-Mass-Index (BMI) is today the most commonly used marker of nutritional status however, this method presents a challenge in many low resource settings and immobile patients. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is another anthropometric measure that requires minimal equipment and little training. So far, MUAC cutoffs for undernutrition are well established in children < 5 years but there is still no consensus for a specific cutoff in adults. The objective of this study was to compare MUAC with BMI and suggest a MUAC cut-off corresponding to a BMI of 18.5 kg/m2 to identify underweight in adults.

methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at two urban public hospitals in Nepal. The following variables where collected: MUAC, weight, height, sex, age and self-reported medical history. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: < 19 years of age, pregnancy and oedema. Sensitivity and specificity for a MUAC value corresponding to BMI < 18.5 was calculated. ROC analysis was performed for male and female as well as Pearson's correlation of MUAC and BMI.

resultsA total of 302 people between 18 and 86 years of age, 197 women and 105 men, were included. Of these, 90 people suffered from rheumatic heart disease. MUAC was highly correlated with BMI in both women r = 0.889 and men r = 0.846. Best statistically derived MUAC cutoff corresponding to a BMI < 18.5 kg/m

conclusionMUAC is strongly correlated with BMI in adults in Nepal. For simplicity, a MUAC of 24.5 cm is the optimal statistically and setting based cutoff in both women and men to identify underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m

Indexed as

ArmBody Mass IndexBody Weights and MeasuresNutritional StatusNutrition AssessmentAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnthropometryBody WeightCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMass ScreeningAnthropometryBody mass indexEpidemiologyMid-upper arm circumferenceNutritionPublic healthTropical medicine

Identifiers

PMID32727437
PMCPMC7391598
OpenAlexW3045527138

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.