In order to find out the most sensitive anthropometric measurement that will diagnose Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) in Nigerian preschool children, three hundred children between the ages of 12 and 60 months (100 each of Normal, PEM and other malnutrition) were measured for height, weight, upper-arm circumference, triceps skinfold and subscapular skinfold thickness. The results showed that Triceps skinfold is the most sensitive anthropometric indicator for diagnosis of PEM in the study population. This supports the hypothesis that energy deficiency may be a more predominant factor in the causation of PEM in Nigeria.

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