RT Journal Article
T1 Public health implications of wasting and stunting relationship in children under five years highly vulnerable to undernutrition in Guatemala: The REDAC Study
A1 López Ejeda, Noemí
A1 Medialdea, Laura
A1 Vargas, Antonio
A1 Coronado, Jessica
A1 García Arias, Miguel Ángel
A1 Marrodán Serrano, María Dolores
AB Background: Guatemala is the Latin American country with the highest prevalence of childhood stunting. Short height can bias the diagnosis of wasting when using the weight-for-height indicator. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic concordance of the anthropometric indicators of wasting and the relationship between wasting and stunting in children from highly vulnerable communities in Guatemala. Methods: The sample consisted of 13,031 anthropometric records of children under five years of age (49.5% girls, average age of 27.9 months), including weight, height, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), collected in March–August 2019. The proportions of stunting, underweight, and wasting, assessed by three different indicators, as well as their concurrence through the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure were calculated. Results: Stunting affected 73% of the sample, and 74.2% showed anthropometric failure. Wasting varied by indicator (weight-for-height: 2.8%; MUAC: 4.4%; MUAC-for-age: 10.6%). Concordance between MUAC and weight-for-height was very low (Kappa: 0.310; sensitivity: 40.9%). MUAC identified more wasted children in the stunted group (53.6% vs. 26.5%), while the opposite occurred in the non-stunted group (34.8% vs. 46.7%). Conclusion: The presence of stunting affected the diagnosis of wasting, and both indicators should be included as diagnostic criteria for screening campaigns and in the treatment of moderate to acute wasting in vulnerable populations affected by multiple forms of undernutrition.
PB MDPI
SN 2072-6643
YR 2022
FD 2022
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97166
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/97166
LA eng
NO López-Ejeda N, Medialdea L, Vargas A, Coronado J, García-Arias MÁ, Marrodán MD. Public Health Implications of Wasting and Stunting Relationship in Children under Five Years Highly Vulnerable to Undernutrition in Guatemala: The REDAC Study. Nutrients. 2022; 14(19):3945.
NO European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Commission
DS Docta Complutense
RD 10 abr 2025