Nutrition Interventions for Children with Special Health Care Needs

Chapter 2 - Anthropometricss
9. Re-position the child and re-measure the skinfold. Make sure there is not tissue
compression with the repeated measurement.
10. Compare the measures; they should agree within 0.2 cm
11. Record the numeric value and compare it to reference data and/or previous
measurements.
Equipment and Technique for Mid-Upper Arm Circumference
(3,7)
1. Use a flexible, nonstretchable tape measure.
2. Position the child with his right arm completely relaxed and hanging by his side.
3. Measure the circumference of the right arm at the midpoint mark (midway
between the acromial and olecranon processes as shown in Figure 9.)
4. Wrap the tape around the arm so that it is touching the skin but not
perpendicular to the long axis of the arm.
5. Measure to the nearest 0.1 cm.
6. Repeat the measurement until two measurements agree within 0.2 cm.
7. Record the numeric value and compare it to reference data and/or previous
measurements.
Calculating Arm Muscle Circumference, Arm Muscle Area, And
Arm Fat Area (3,16)
The mid-upper arm circumference (C) is converted to mm (c) and used with triceps
skinfold thickness (T) to calculate upper arm area (A), upper arm muscle area (M),
and upper arm fat area (F). Equations for these calculations are provided below. A
nomogram is also available (15).
• Upper arm area (mm Ê
2 ) = Ê π c 2
4 x π
• Upper arm muscle area (mm2 ) = (c-π T) 2
4 π
• Upper arm fat area (mm2 ) = A – M
28 Nutrition Interventions for Children With Special Health Care Needs