Elsevier

Nutrition Research

Volume 5, Issue 8, August 1985, Pages 797-799
Nutrition Research

The assessment of nutritional status in children

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0271-5317(85)80167-6Get rights and content

Abstract

McLaren and Read's widely used nomogram and chart devised for rapid computation of nutritional status in children has been critically evaluated. The nutritional assessment assigned by nomogram and chart was compared to that assigned by direct calculation from standard growth charts. We noted considerable discrepancy between the two methods. When a child's height was above the 50th percentile, the nomogram and chart always underestimated the severity of malnutrition, while severity of malnutrition was overestimated by nomogram and chart when height was below the 50th percentile. Further analysis of both the nomogram and chart revealed they were based on ideal weight for height at the 50th percentile, corrected for age. Thus, the nomogram and chart erroneously assess nutritional status if height is divergent from the 50th percentile. The ideal weight to height ratio (gm/cm) is not only affected by age, but also affected by percentile ranking; the ratio rises with increasing percentile ranking. This variable of percentile ranking for height is not accounted for adequately by either the nomogram or chart. Therefore, we cannot recommend either the nomogram or chart for rapid computation of ideal weight or nutritional status.

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