title: Preliminary evaluation of the Moyo chart-a novel, low-cost, weight-for-height slide chart for the improved assessment of nutritional status in children.
abstract: The Moyo chart is a novel weight-for-height slide chart. We explore the hypothesis that it improves accuracy, speed and ease of nutritional assessment compared with traditional lookup tables. In a crossover randomised controlled trial, 61 medical students in Ethiopia diagnosed hypothetical cases of severe acute malnutrition, moderate acute malnutrition and normal nutrition in children. Mean accuracy of nutritional status diagnosis was 83.2% using the Moyo chart and 76.1% using lookup tables (P = 0.011). There was a trend towards a reduced time per correct diagnosis using the Moyo chart and 78% of participants preferred using it. These preliminary results suggest that the Moyo chart may aid frontline health workers classifying child nutritional status.
authors.affiliation: University College London Medical School, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sikorski
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerac
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fikremariam
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seal
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012016:Reference Values