Implication of New WHO Growth Standards on Identification of Risk Factors and Estimated Prevalence of Malnutrition in Rural Malawian Infants

Marc-André Prost, Andreas Jahn, Sian Floyd, Hazzie Mvula, Eleneus Mwaiyeghele, Venance Mwinuka, Thomas Mhango, Amelia C Crampin, Nuala McGrath, Paul E M Fine and Judith R Glynn

PLOS ONE, 2008, vol. 3, issue 7, 1-8

Abstract: Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) released new Child Growth Standards in 2006 to replace the current National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) growth reference. We assessed how switching from the NCHS to the newly released WHO Growth Standards affects the estimated prevalence of wasting, underweight and stunting, and the pattern of risk factors identified. Methodology/Principal Findings: Data were drawn from a village-informant driven Demographic Surveillance System in Northern Malawi. Children (n = 1328) were visited twice at 0–4 months and 11–15 months. Data were collected on the demographic and socio-economic environment of the child, health history, maternal and child anthropometry and child feeding practices. Weight-for-length, weight-for-age and length-for-age were derived in z-scores using the two growth references. In early infancy, prevalence estimates were 2.9, 6.1, and 8.5 fold higher for stunting, underweight, and wasting respectively using the WHO standards compared to NCHS reference (p

Date: 2008
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0002684

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002684

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