Anthropometric assessment of nutritional status in adolescent populations in humanitarian emergencies.

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 8804070 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0954-3007 (Print) Linking ISSN: 09543007 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Eur J Clin Nutr Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: <2003->: London : Nature Publishing Group
Original Publication: London : J. Libbey, c1988-

Anthropometry* ; Nutritional Status*; Nutrition Disorders/*diagnosis; Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Emergencies ; Ethnicity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutrition Disorders/classification ; Reference Standards ; Sexual Maturation ; World Health Organization

Objective: To outline the difficulties and suggest potential solutions in anthropometric assessment of adolescents during humanitarian emergencies.
Design: Literature review.
Setting: Multiple settings in which the nutritional status of adolescents has been assessed using anthropometric measurements.
Subjects: Adolescents in multiple populations.
Interventions: None.
Results: The use of anthropometry may be more difficult in adolescents than in other age groups because anthropometric indices in normally nourished adolescents change with age and sexual development. Moreover, survey and reference populations may differ in the age at which certain pubertal landmarks are attained, requiring adjustment for differences between survey and reference populations. Adolescent populations may also differ by ethnicity in various body proportions that affect anthropometric indices. Adjustment may be required when the body proportions of adolescents in the reference population differ from those in the population assessed.
Conclusions: Although no definitive recommendation can be made regarding which anthropometric indices are the most appropriate for adolescents, some revisions may improve current practices. Weight-for-height could be used for prepubertal adolescents and body mass index could be used for postpubertal adolescents. Because cut-off points are age-specific, age should be collected as accurately as possible for all adolescents measured during screening or survey activities. The WHO-recommended reference population of US adolescents is inappropriate in most populations of adolescents. Adolescents should never undergo nutritional assessment in isolation; other population subgroups should be included, and other health, nutrition and food data should be collected at the same time.
Sponsorship: The United Nations Administrative Committee on Coordination/Sub-Committee on Nutrition.

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Date Created: 20021113 Date Completed: 20030410 Latest Revision: 20220408

20221213

10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601456

12428177