Growth parameters | Mild malnutrition | Moderate malnutrition | Severe malnutrition |
Weight-for-length Z-score* | –1 to –1.9 | –2 to –2.9 | ≤–3 |
Mid-upper arm circumference Z-score | –1 to –1.9 | –2 to –2.9 | ≤–3 |
Decline in weight-for-length Z-score | ≥1 | ≥2 | ≥3 |
WHO: World Health Organization.
* The WHO weight-for-length percentiles for infants <24 months can be determined using the related UpToDate calculator.
¶ As an alternative, the WHO also defines wasting in children 6 to 59 months as mid-upper arm circumference 115 to 125 mm (moderate wasting) and <115 mm (severe wasting). These flat cutoffs can be used as field measures in place of Z-scores, particularly in low-resource settings[2].Do you want to add Medilib to your home screen?