1. Measuring Undernutrition
Text Extracted from:
The World Food Problem
Leathers & Foster, 2004

2. Measuring Undernutrition
Clinical assessment
Measurements
Swelling
Eye tests
Biochemical assessment
Blood tests
Anemia
Dietary assessment
Survey of food eaten

3. Anthropometric Measurements
Comparisons made to reference population
Height
Weight
Body Fat
Arm circumference
Stunting
Low height for age
Underweight
Low weight for age
Wasting
Low weight for height
Same age girls

4. Stunting Stunting: low height for age
Over 200 million children are stunted
40% of all preschool children in developing countries

5. Stunting

6. Underweight Low weight for age 150 million children are underweight
26% of world’s children

7. Underweight

8. Wasted Below normal weight for height 52 million children are wasted
Two thirds of these live in Asia
half in South Asia

9. Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC)
Easy way to determine undernutrition in preschool children
upper arm circumference doesn’t change much
Normal
Over 14 cm
Undernourished cm
Severely undernourished
Under 12.5 cm

10. Undernutrition
About 55% of the 11 million deaths among under-five children each year in the developing world are associated with undernutrition