SynthesisBMJ global health2020
Diagnostic accuracy of neonatal foot length to identify preterm and low birthweight infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ global health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nutrition assessment of hospitalized very preterm infants: Best practices for accurate anthropometry in neonatal intensive care unit settings.Nutrition in clinical practice : official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition · 2025Guideline
- 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
- Assessing the diagnostic accuracy of postnatal clinical scoring methods and foot length measurement for estimating gestational age and birthweight of newborns in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Pooled it
- Bedside ultrasound imaging to measure muscle cross-sectional area in preterm and term infants: a feasibility study.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2026Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of newborn foot length measurement in identifying low birth weight and preterm infants in Sidama Region, Ethiopia.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Accuracy and utility of newborn foot length screening tools to identify small babies by mothers in Sidama Region, Ethiopia.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Observational
- Laser-Based Length-Measuring Board for the Measurement of Infant Body Length from Outside an Incubator: Proposal and Assessment of a Model.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of foot length measurement for identification of preterm newborn in rural Sindh, Pakistan.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Article
- The use of newborn foot length to identify low birth weight and preterm babies in Papua New Guinea: A diagnostic accuracy study.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Newborn Mid-Upper Arm Circumference Identifies Low-Birth Weight and Vulnerable Infants: A Secondary Analysis.Current developments in nutrition · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionEighty percent of neonatal deaths occur among babies born preterm and/or small for gestational age (SGA). In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, approximately 40% of births occur outside of health facilities, and gestational age (GA) and birth weight are commonly unknown. Foot length (FL) has been proposed as a simple, surrogate measurement to identify and triage small babies born in the community. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of newborn FL to classify preterm and low birthweight infants.
methodsPubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, POPLINE and WHO Global Health Library databases were searched. Studies of live-born infants that compared FL with GA and/or birth weight were included. Data on diagnostic accuracy were summarised, described, and pooled, as appropriate.
resultsSix hundred and two studies were identified and 41 included. Techniques for measuring FL included use of a firm plastic ruler, callipers, footprint or a measuring board. Twelve studies assessed the diagnostic accuracy of FL to identify preterm births; however, data were not pooled given heterogeneity and low quality of GA. 19 studies used FL to identify low birthweight infants (<2500 g, <2000 g). Among studies in Asia (n=3), FL
conclusionsFL is a simple proxy measure that can identify babies of low birthweight with high sensitivity, though somewhat lower specificity. Additional research is needed to determine the validity of FL to identify preterm infants, and understand the programmatic impact of screening on healthcare seeking and outcomes. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015020499.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.