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Screening for SAM in the community: Is MUAC a ‘Simple Tool’?

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Abstract

Anthropometric data from our survey of 1,879 children in Madhya Pradesh revealed low sensitivity (17.5%) and positive predictive value (30.4%) of Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) at the recommended cut-off of 115 mm for identifying Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). This led us to question the reliability of MUAC as a screening tool to identify SAM at the community level, especially in the context of very high levels of stunting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, 110 067, India

    Rajib Dasgupta, Dipa Sinha, Sachin Kumar Jain & Vandana Prasad

Authors
  1. Rajib Dasgupta
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  2. Dipa Sinha
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  3. Sachin Kumar Jain
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  4. Vandana Prasad
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Correspondence to Rajib Dasgupta.

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Dasgupta, R., Sinha, D., Jain, S.K. et al. Screening for SAM in the community: Is MUAC a ‘Simple Tool’?. Indian Pediatr 50, 154–155 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-013-0032-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-013-0032-1

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