Objectives: To investigate the use of armspan as a proxy for height in the assessment of nutritional status using body mass index (BMI) for four ethnic groups in Ethiopia. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Four regions in Ethiopia, namely Oromia, Amhara, Tigre and Somali Region. Subjects: A total of 1706 (884 males and 822 females) Ethiopians aged 18 -50 y from four different ethnic groups. Methods: Anthropometric measurements (weight, height and armspan) were obtained using standard techniques. BMI using height (BMI-ht) and using armspan (BMI-as) were calculated, t-tests were used to compare means, and linear regression to investigate the relationship between BMI-ht and BMI-as. Results: Ethnic and sex differences in the relationship between height and armspan, and their derived variables (BMI-ht and BMI-as), were found. Armspan and height (r ¼ 0.83 -0.9), and BMI-ht and BMI-as (r ¼ 0.89 -0.97), were highly correlated in all ethnic groups. BMI-as cut-offs equivalent to the conventional BMI-ht classification of chronic energy deficiency were similar in the Oromo, Amhara and Tigre, but substantially higher in the Somalis. Conclusion: Armspan can be used as a proxy for height to estimate BMI, but the relationship between the two measures varies considerably with ethnicity and sex. Unless sex-and ethnicity-specific cut-offs are applied, the use of BMI-as using conventional cut-offs will overestimate the prevalence of underweight in these populations.

Objectives: To determine the nature of the relationship between mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) in pre-and post-harvest seasons among adult Ethiopian farmers. Subjects/Methods: A total of 491 healthy adult men aged 18-60 years were recruited at pre-harvest season and followed up at post-harvest season. Anthropometric measurements (weight, MUAC, biceps/triceps skinfold thickness and forearm circumference) were obtained using standard techniques and arm muscle circumference (AMC)/arm muscle area (AMA) was calculated. MVC of both arms was measured using a handgrip dynamometer. Paired t-test was used to compare means, and linear regression to investigate the relationship between MUAC and MVC. Results: Maximum voluntary contraction showed statistically significant correlation with MUAC. Grip strength (MVC) demonstrated a linear increase from under-nourished to normal subjects across MUAC classes. Paradoxically, mean MVC of both arms declined significantly during the post-harvest season. However, the relationship between MUAC and MVC held tight in the post-harvest season as seen in the pre-harvest period. Conclusions: This study has highlighted that under-nourished adult men have reduced functional ability (strength) in all seasons. In addition, strength increases in a linear fashion as MUAC increases during both seasons. More work examining the relationship between functional ability and anthropometric indices in adults from different developing countries is needed to address use and cutoffs for grip strength.