Relevance of Mid Arm Circumference as an Anthropometric Tool in Adolescents.

Subha Sankar Dutta; Arunabha Tapadar; Kana Bal

Volume : IX, Issue : VIII, August - 2020

Relevance of Mid Arm Circumference as an Anthropometric Tool in Adolescents.

Subha Sankar Dutta, Arunabha Tapadar, Kana Bal

Abstract :

The mid arm circumference (MAC) is an anthropometric tool for measurement of nutritional adequacy and growth in the �under five� paediatric age group. However in adolescent children it is important in rapid and mass surveys. The MAC was measured in 130 healthy school children (84 boys and 46 girls) of 12 – 14 years age of M.G.M�s Sanskar Vidyalaya, N-4 Cidco, Aurangabad using the girth of the arm at the midpoint between the acromial process of the scapula and the lateral epicondyle of the humerus. The study aims to measure the MAC in an adolescent population and compare them with data from previous studies in an attempt to formulate a �normal� range for comparison with similar studies. In the present study, the MAC for 12 year old children varies from 18.81- 20.7cm, for 13 year old children from 20.4- 20.82cm and 14 year old children from 21.12- 21.97cm.The present study gives us a range of ~ 19 – 22cm as the range of MAC in adolescent boys and girls. In spite of several studies on the MAC in adolescents, no consensus has been reached regarding the cut off points for determining under nutrition and overweight. Further studies are required to publish the normal cut off ranges of MAC for the adolescent population of our country.