Maternal weight and weight gain during pregnancy--can the arm circumference be used as surrogate?

A survey among pregnant Nigerian women attending an antenatal clinic showed a strong correlation between the arm circumference and weight. The sensitivity and positive predictive value of mid-arm circumference less than 23 cm for first trimester weight of less than 45 kg was 85.7% and 54.5% respecti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAfrican journal of medicine and medical sciences Vol. 20; no. 2; p. 155
Main Authors Olukoya, A A, Giwa-Osagie, O F
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Nigeria 01.06.1991
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Anthropometry - methods
Arm - anatomy & histology
Evaluation Studies as Topic
Female
Hospitals, University
Humans
Mass Screening - methods
Mass Screening - standards
Nigeria
Nutrition Assessment
Parity
Pregnancy
Sensitivity and Specificity
Weight Gain
Nigeria
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Summary:A survey among pregnant Nigerian women attending an antenatal clinic showed a strong correlation between the arm circumference and weight. The sensitivity and positive predictive value of mid-arm circumference less than 23 cm for first trimester weight of less than 45 kg was 85.7% and 54.5% respectively. In the second trimester, these values for mid-arm circumference of less than 24 cm and weight less than 50 kg were 55.6% and 32.3% respectively. The specificity was high, ranging up to 99.4%. The value of the screening was found to be higher amongst primigravidas. Mid-arm circumference was however found to be insensitive for monitoring of weight gain during pregnancy. Strips based on this principle may be useful as a screening tool especially for low cadre health workers to identify pregnant women considered nutritionally at risk.
ISSN:0309-3913