Anthropometric measurement – Health of the children has been considered as the vital importance to all societies because children are the basic resource for the future of humankind. Nursing care of children is concerned for both the health of the children and for the illnesses that affect their growth and development. The increasing complexity of medical and nursing science has created a need for special area of child care, i.e. pediatric nursing.
Pediatric nursing is the specialized area of nursing practice concerning the care of children during wellness and illness. It includes preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative care of children. It emphasizes on all round development of body, mind and spirit of the growing individual. Thus, pediatric nursing involves in giving assistance, care and support to the growing and developing children to achieve their individual potential for functioning with fullest capacity.
Anthropometric measurement
Anthropometric measurements are a series of quantitative measurements of the muscle, bone, and adipose tissue used to assess the composition of the body. The core elements of anthropometry are height, weight, body mass index (BMI), body circumferences (waist, hip, and limbs), and skinfold thickness.
Or
Anthropometric measurements are used to assess the size, shape and composition of the human body. Learn about common methods used to gather these measurements, such as BMI, waist-to- hip ratio, skin-fold test and bioelectrical impedance.
Nutritional Anthropometry:
Anthropometric measurements include.
1. Height (cm) and weight (kg): Weight is judged in relation to age and height, also height is judged in relation to age.
- a) Weight for age: This is used an index of malnutrition. But major difficulty is that, in most cases, the ages of the children are unknown.
- b) Height for age: This gives a picture of past nutritional history. But this is also age dependent.
- c) Weight for height: This is age independent and is used as an index of current nutritional status.
2. Arm circumference: The left arm circumference is measured at the mid-point between the acromial process of scapula and olecranon process of ulna.
3. Skin fold thickness: It is measured by skin calipers over the triceps and sub scapular region.
In young children, additional measurements, such as head circumference and chest circumference are made.
Read more: