title: Comparison of methods to categorize undernutrition in children.
abstract: We compared the results of three methods of categorizing undernutrition in a group of 258 children referred for evaluation of "failure to thrive." There was broad variation between the number of children classified as malnourished (75% to 98%) and the degree of undernutrition, depending on the method used. We recommend that categorization systems be used only to define a child as having a risk of possible adverse effects of undernutrition, not as being malnourished.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Ashenburg
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Whitaker
mesh_terms: D005183:Failure to Thrive / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000145:classification*