Title
Weight-for-age and mid-upper arm circumference versus weight-for-length as severe acute malnutrition indicators: A validation study in under 6-month infants
Authors
Kumari Pinky1,*, Rashmi Randa Mahore2, Shiva Saloni Thakur3 & Sachin Parmar4
Affiliation
1Department of Paediatrics, Government Medical College, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, India; 2Department of Pediatrics, GMC Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; 3Department of Pediatrics, Civil hospital Amarwara, Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, India; 4Department of Community Medicine, V.K.S. Government Medical College, Neemuch, India; *Corresponding author
Kumari Pinky - E-mail: pinkysingh314@gmail.com
Rashmi Randa Mahore - E-mail: rashmiranda@live.com
Shiva Saloni Thakur - E-mail: shivasaloni.thakur@gmail.com
Sachin Parmar - E-mail: dr.sachinparmar@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received April 1, 2026; Revised April 30, 2026; Accepted April 30, 2026, Published April 30, 2026
Abstract
Infants are more susceptible to malnutrition than older children. The prevalence of severe wasting among Indian infants under-6 months of age is 14.8% according to the National Family Health Survey-4. The myth of complete protection by exclusive breastfeeding is debated when the prevalence of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) sprang up as high as 23.8% in a cross sectional study from Central India among 600 infants. Area under the curve for MUAC <11 cm was 0.936 (95% confidence interval); its sensitivity and specificity were 69.23% and 73.09%, respectively; area under the curve for weight-for-age had higher sensitivity at (88.81%), but lower specificity (61.1%). The highlighted modifiable risk factors were low birth weight and adverse feeding practices. Combined MUAC and weight-for-length screening strategies should be used specifically in low-resource, community-based contexts for SAM in infants aged under six months.
Keywords
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM); mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC); infants under six months
Citation
Pinky et al. Bioinformation 22(4): 2305-2309 (2026)
Edited by
P Kangueane
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
