Which of the following anthropometric indices is used to assess wasting?

NHM UP Staff Nurse-2023 shift 1st

Applied Nutrition & Dietetics

Easy

Appeared in: NHM UP Staff Nurse-2023 shift 1st

Explanation

The weight-for-height index is the specific measurement used to assess wasting in children.
Wasting indicates acute malnutrition, reflecting a recent and severe failure to receive adequate nutrition, leading to weight loss.
A low weight-for-height Z-score (typically below -2 SD from the median) confirms the diagnosis of wasting.
This index is sensitive to rapid changes in nutritional status, making it crucial for identifying children needing immediate therapeutic feeding.

Option A: Body Mass Index (BMI) is a general screening tool for nutritional status (underweight, normal, overweight, obese) but is more commonly used in adults and older children. For acute malnutrition (wasting) in young children, weight-for-height is the standard indicator.
Option B: The height-for-age index is used to assess stunting, not wasting. Stunting is a sign of chronic or long-term malnutrition that has affected a child's linear growth over time.
Option C: The weight-for-age index indicates if a child is underweight. However, it is a composite measure and does not differentiate between wasting (acute malnutrition) and stunting (chronic malnutrition). A child can be underweight because they are wasted, stunted, or both.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Anthropometric Indices for Nutritional Assessment as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Accurately identifying the type of malnutrition is critical for nurses to plan appropriate interventions. Wasting requires immediate therapeutic feeding, while stunting requires long-term nutritional support and addressing underlying chronic issues.
Nurses use these indices in community health screenings, pediatric clinics, and hospitals to monitor child growth and identify at-risk children early.
What if? A child has a low weight-for-age but a normal weight-for-height. This indicates the child is likely stunted (chronic malnutrition) rather than wasted (acute malnutrition). The nursing intervention would focus on long-term dietary improvement and investigating chronic health problems, not just emergency feeding.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key term in the question, which is "wasting".
Recall the definition of wasting: a condition of acute malnutrition characterized by being too thin for one's height.
Consider the provided options and match them to their specific nutritional assessment purpose.
Eliminate the indices for chronic malnutrition (stunting/height-for-age) and general underweight status (weight-for-age).
Select the index that directly measures the relationship between weight and height, which is the defining characteristic of wasting.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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