Measurement of Skin Fold Thickness in Undernutrition and Normal Children Under Five Years

Abstract

Background : In developing countries, malnutrition kills Three hundred thousand children under the age of 5 every year and is directly or indirectly responsible for more than half of all child deaths worldwide. Skinfold measurements are a common way to figure out one's body fat percentage. As a result, calipers are used to measure the thickness of skin at various points on the body.

Aim:

An investigation was conducted to determine the sensitivity and specificity of skin fold thickness in the early detection of undernutrition in children.

Patients and Methods

Normal and underweight children aged 2 months to 5 years old were randomly selected to participate in a cross-sectional hospital-based study at the Rehapelitation word of Pediatric Department at (Salahaddin General Hospital). The triceps area was used to measure skin fold thickness in all undernourished and normal weight children.

Results:

Unicef digital scales for children who cannot stand and Unicef digital scales for children who can stand were used to measure each child's weight, and the average of the two measurements was used to calculate the weight. Stabilometer was used for children over 2 years of age and infantometer was used for children under 2 years of age.