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Assessment of Body Composition and Nutritional Status Utilizing Upper Arm Anthropometry and Its Determinants among Preschool Children of West Bengal, India
Arindam Biswas, Argina Khatun and Nitish Mondal
Published: 2026/06/01
Abstract
Body composition is closely linked to nutritional status, dietary habits, physical activity, sex, and the prevalence of disease. Poor body composition and low nutritional status can increase morbidity and reduce the capacity for physical activity and performance. Upper arm anthropometry has the potential to estimate body composition and nutritional assessment in children and adults. The present cross-sectional study was undertaken among 1122 children (570 boys, 552 girls) aged 24-71 months in Maynaguri Block, Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal, India. The present study aimed to assess body composition and nutritional condition by upper arm muscle area by height (UAMAH). Anthropometric and skinfold measurements were used to assess upper arm body composition by utilizing the standard methods developed by Frisancho (1981, 1990). Most of the anthropometric and body composition variables showed significant age-related variation. Overall, the prevalence of UAMAH-defined wasting was 48.13 percent (52.63 percent in boys, 43.48 percent in girls). Age- and sex-specific comparison with the National Health Statistics Report showed that mean height, weight, and BMI are lower than the reference values. Body composition and nutritional status of these children were found to be unsatisfactory. Most of the socio-economic and demographic variables were significantly associated with low UAMAH (i.e., wasting). Binary logistic regression showed that boys are at greater risk of wasting than girls. Ethnicity, type of delivery, birth weight of child, number of rooms, fuel for cooking, type of bath place, monthly family income, and maternal BMI all were statistically related to wasting. The combined use of upper arm anthropometry and conventionally used anthropometric measures appears to be a useful tool for assessing body composition and nutritional status.
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