KGAT CARD FOR DETECTION OF MALNUTRITION

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Title
KGAT CARD FOR DETECTION OF MALNUTRITION
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SDA-RF-CH-1.15

KGAT CARD FOR DETECTION OF MALNUTRITICN

During recent years growth monitoring per se has been regarded as a
strategy of preventing severe malnutrition and death

in children.

Tools for

measuring growth are simple and easy to use (weighing scale, measuring tape etc.)
and are available in a community/Family.

However, no tool is available at present

which nay be simple, small, portable and easy to use for interpretation of

anthropometric measurements collected at peripheral level.

The K.G.A.T. Card has

been developed to fulfil this need.

K.G.A.T. card is very easy to operate.

Just adjust the age of your

child (up to 60 months) on the respective 'window- of the card, you will .get
instantly the minimum expected weight (in kg), height (in cm) and mid upper arm

circumference (MJAC in cm).

And if these values are less than the critical values

(which are also shown simultaneously against each parameter i.e., weight, height and
MUAC , it warns that your child is suffering from severe malnutrition.

Alternatively

by adjusting the height (in cm) of your child on the KGAT card, you get the instant

minimum expected weight for this height along with the critical value which indicates

severe malnutrition.

If your child's nutrition status is between normal and severe

category of nutrition, it means he is suffering from mild to moderate degree of
malnutrition.

Different criteria used to interpret anthropometric measurements

in terms of malnutrition have been shown in the card.

The reference values

used for various parameters in KGAT card have been taken from W.H.O. Monograph
Series No.5^(D.B. Jellifftfe, Assessment of Nutritional Status of the Community,
1966)^except in case of MUAC, which have been derived from the Harvard

Standards (Stuart and Stevenson, 1959 Table I).

The pilot field testing of this tool was done in a group of 20
educated mothers in an urban clinic of Delhi and it was found to be 100 per cent '

acceptable.

The degree of agreement between qualified MBBS doctor

educated mother was 95-100 per cent.
is being tested at three centres.

vs

The detailed field testing of this card

- 2 -

It is felt that this simple card would be extremely useful
guide for helping millions of literate nutrition-conscious mothers,
peripheral health and Nutrition Workers and supervisors in World
to monitor the health and nutrition status of children in canmunity.
The card is available from the Institute of Health
& Nutrition, E-35 Ansari Nagar, New Delji-110029.

(Unesh Kapil)

(M.C. Gupta)

TABLE CRITERIA USED TO INTERPRET ANTHROPOMETRIC
MEASUREMENTS IN TERMS OF MALNUTRITION.

S. No.

1.

Parameter

Weight for age

Cut off point for categorising malnutrition
(as percentage of
reference standard.)

Normal

Severe

80

60

Reference
criterion
used.

i) Indian Academy
of Paediatrics
ii)Wellcome Group

2.

Height for age

95

85

3.

Weight for height

90

70

4.

Mid upper arm
circumference
(MUAC)

J.C. Waterlow,
Lh WHO Monograph
Series No.62
80

50

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