title: Use of upper-arm anthropometry as measure of body-composition and nutritional assessment in children and adolescents (6-20 years) of Assam, Northeast India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Upper-arm muscle area (UMA), upper-arm fat area (UFA), arm-fat index (AFI), upper-arm fat estimate (UFE) and upper-arm muscle estimate (UME) was introduced for the assessment of body-composition. This cross-sectional study assessed age-sex specific upper-arm composition and nutritional status among children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present cross-sectional study was conducted among 1545 (770 boys; 775 girls) Sonowal Kacharis of Dibrugarh District, Assam, Northeast-India, using multi-stage stratified random sampling method. The anthropometric measurements of height, weight, triceps and mid-upper-arm circumference were recorded. The upper-arm composition was assessed using standard equations. Nutritional status was assessed using standard classification of upper-arm muscle-area by height (UAMAH) and thinness (low BMI-for-age).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age and sex-specific muscularity were found significantly greater among boys than girls (p<0.01), while adiposity was significantly greater among girls (p<0.01), particularly when they approached to puberty. The overall prevalence of low and below-average UAMAH was found to be 16.38% and 22.65% respectively. The overall prevalence of thinness was 23.69% (26.36% boys, 21.03% girls) (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Body-composition and nutritional status of these children and adolescents were found markedly unsatisfactory using upper-arm composition, UAMAH and thinness. The combination of upper-arm composition and conventional anthropometric measures appear to be useful for body-composition and nutritional status assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Dibru College, Dibrugrah, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Singh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaswant
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Assam University; Diphu Campus, Karbi Anglong, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Mondal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nitish
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001132:Arm / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001823:Body Composition; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Child Health; Malnutrition; Northeast-India; Upper-arm Fat Area; Upper-arm Muscle Area; Upper-arm anthropometry; Upper-arm muscle-area by Height