Weight-for-height and mid-upper-arm circumference should be used independently to diagnose acute malnutrition: policy implications

To estimate the nutritional status of a population anthropometric surveys are conducted. Where there is an excessive prevalence of malnutrition, or a deteriorating nutritional state, interventions are planned and implemented to prevent further deterioration and to identify malnourished individuals that require treatment. The relationship between subnormal anthropometric status and increased mortality is well established [1-4]. The prevalence of acute malnutrition in children is used internationally to define the risk of death and level of nutritional stress in a population leading ultimately to famine [5, 6].