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Background. The use of mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) as a screening measure for assessing undernutrition has the following advantages: makes use of simple equipment, is easy to carry to field sites, and requires minimal training. MUAC cutoffs for undernutrition are available for children and adults but not for adolescents. Objective. To compare MUAC with BMI in assessing undernutrition among adolescent girls and to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of MUAC as a tool in assessing their nutritional status. Methodology. A total of 565 unmarried adolescent girls of both school-going and non-school-going age (16-18 years old) from the urban slums of Pune city Maharashtra, India, were recruited for the cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, and MUAC were recorded. Results. The percentage of adolescents who were malnourished was 4.8% according to BMI and 5.0% for MUAC. BMI highly correlated with MUAC (r = 0.593), and MUAC as a screening tool showed 28.57% sensitivity and 96.46% specificity. Further studies among different age groups need to be carried out to arrive at standard cutoffs for MUAC.

This pilot study demonstrated that iron rich recipes cooked in iron pot have a beneficial effect on iron status of children. Therefore, such food based strategies have the potential to alleviate iron deficiency anemia not only in children but also in other vulnerable sections of society like in pregnant women.

Background: Measuring undernutrition using composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) and identifying its determinants in tribal regions is essential to recognize the true burden of undernutrition in these settings. Objective: To determine anthropometric failure and its determinants among tribal children younger than 5 years in Palghar, Maharashtra, India. Methods: A cross-sectional survey employing CIAF was performed in children <5 years to estimate undernutrition in the tribal district of Palghar in Maharashtra, India. Anthropometric measurements, maternal and child characteristics were recorded from 577 mother–child pairs in 9 villages. Results: As per Z score, prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight were 48%, 13%, and 43%, respectively. According to CIAF, 66% of children had at least one manifestation of undernutrition and 40% had more than one manifestation of undernutrition. Odds of anthropometric failure were 1.5 times higher among children of mothers who were illiterate (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =1.57, 95% CI: 1.0-2.3), children who had birth weight >2.5 kg had lesser odds (AOR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.4-0.9) of anthropometric failure, and children who had initiated early breastfeeding had 1.5 times higher odds of anthropometric failure (crude odds ratio: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.1). However, when adjusted for other independent variables, the results were not significant. Conclusion: The alarming proportion of anthropometric failure among tribal children calls for urgent short-term interventions to correct undernutrition and long-term interventions to improve maternal literacy and awareness to prevent and manage child undernutrition.