Mid-upper arm, chest and head circumference cut-off points and equations for identifying low birth weight in Egypt, Manal Mohsen, Mai Youssef, Safaa Zaki and Maha El-Shamy
Manal A. Mohsen, Mai M. Youssef, Safaa T. Zaki, National Research Center, Egypt
Maha M. El-Shamy, Al-Mataria Teaching Hospital, Egypt
Abstract: Because of the prevalent resource-poor settings during deliveries in developing countries, few anthropometric surrogates have been suggested to identify low birth weight (LBW < 2500 grams) babies. The WHO reported that validity of mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) and chest circumference (CHC), as well as its cut-off points for identifying LBW babies, varied across the nations and ethnic groups. This study was conducted to identify the anthropometric cutoff points suitable for detecting LBW in Egypt. A prospective cross-sectional study including 129 full-term newborns was carried out. Thirteen percent newborns were found LBW. Birth weight, length, MUAC, CHC and head circumference (HC) were recorded. MUAC, CHC and HC were found to be highly correlated with the birth weight. The best correlation observed was between birth weight and MUAC (r = 0.673, P < 0.001). The best discriminator of LBW, as detected by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, was the MUAC. This study showed that birth weight = - 433.880 + (331.706 MUAC). The MUAC cut-off point value of < 9 cm had the highest sensitivity and specificity for identifying LBW, followed by the CHC < 31 cm and lastly the HC < 32 cm. Linear regression models evoked the following 3-anthropometric-component equation as the most predictive mean for birth weight calculation: “Birth Weight = 199.507 MUAC+ 77.633 HC + 61.446 CHC – 3610.071”.
Keywords: Low birth weight, Anthropometry, Mid-upper-arm circumference, Chest circumference, Head circumference, Egypt