Anthropometric assessment of young children's nutritional status as an indicator of subsequent risk of dying
Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 29(2): 69-75
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0142-6338 PMID: 6854708 DOI: 10.1093/tropej/29.2.69Document Number: 426479
Weight, height, and arm circumference measurements were made on 105 children under age 5 (6-59 months) in a rural town in Zaire to assess whether it is possible to detect changes in nutrition status by observing a child's development, and whether poor nutritional status is associated with an increased risk of dying. The risk of dying was uniformly distributed among groups defined by various cut-off points in the distribution of anthropometric parameters. It was not possible to demonstrate differential mortality risks or to identify a threshold level below which risk would substantially increase. The results contrast with similar community-based studies from India and Bangladesh. (wz)