874 scale

Data for this study were obtained from a cross-sectional survey conducted between December 2018 and May 2019. The study setting was the pediatric unit of the Princess Marie Louise children’s Hospital (PMLCH) in the Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro of the Accra metropolitan assembly. In all, a sample of 163 malnourished children were used for our analysis and reporting. Variables measured include MUAC as the dependent variable, with a child’s age, height, weight, hemoglobin level, total protein, and albumen as independent variables. Data cleaning and editing was done daily.
Two trained personnel assisted in the process of data collection; one collecting data on MUAC, age, weight, and height, while the other assisted in recording clinical data (albumen, hemoglobin and protein) that were made available to us by the laboratory department of the hospital. Recumbent length was measured for children less than 24 months while standing height was measured for children 24 months to five years. The Schorrboard (Schorr Production, MD, USA) was used in measuring length and recordings were made to the nearest 0.1 centimeter (cm). In the measurement of weight of a child, the Seca 874 scale (Seca Gmbh & Co. KG, Humburg, Germany) was used. Weights were recorded to the nearest 0.1 kilogram. MUAC was measured to the nearest 0.1 millimeter (mm) using the Johns Hopkins University MUAC tape.

In children, body weight was measured during morning hours using a digital Seca 874 scale (Seca GmbH and Co., Hamburg, Germany) [33 ]. Height of children was measured with a portable stadiometer (Seca 214, Seca GmbH and Co., Hamburg, Germany). Maternal weight and height were reported.
Waist circumference was measured at the iliac crest [34 (link),35 (link)], and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was also calculated.
Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each participant (mother or child) as the body mass (kg) divided by height squared (m²). For the assessment of body weight status, the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) [36 (link)] criteria were employed for the children, and the World Health Organization (WHO) cutoffs for BMI were used for the mothers [33 ].

Face-to-face interviews with mother/care-givers was used to collect data. In all households, height and weight measurements were recorded for all children aged 6–59 months. Weight measurements were obtained using lightweight, electronic SECA 874 scales with a digital screen. Height measurements were carried out with measuring boards donated by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Children younger than 24 months of age were measured in a recumbent position on the board, while standing height was measured for older children. In contrast with the data collection procedures for household and individual interviews, anthropometry data were initially recorded on the paper-based Biomarker Questionnaire and subsequently entered into interviewers’ tablet computers.