Abstract
Objective: To assess the nutritional status of 6-60 months children using WHO (2007) mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) cut-off values.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study
Place and Duration of Study: Nutrition stabilization centre of the Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Multan during March to September, 2016.
Material and Methods: MUAC measurement of 317 children was taken under standard protocol. Nutritional status was assessed using World Health Organization (WHO) 2007 age-and sex-specific cut-off points.
Results: The mean (±SD) age and MUAC was 22.90 (±15.91) and 11.46 (±1.98 cm), respectively. The overall (age-and-sex combined) undernutrition was 61.80%, higher in boys (64.4%) than in girls (59.1%). Severe undernutrition was more prevalent than moderate undernutrition in both sexes.
Conclusion: This study based on MUAC, showed that a remarkable number of children were undernourished. A high rate of undernutrition was observed in boys than in girls.
Key Words: Undernutrition, Under five children, MUAC
