Resumo

CARDENAS-LOPEZ, Cristina; HAUA-NAVARRO, Karime; SUVERZA-FERNANDEZ, Araceli  e  PERICHART-PERERA, Otilia. Anthropometric assessment in newborns. Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. [online]. 2005, vol.62, n.3, pp.214-224. ISSN 1665-1146.

Anthropometric assessment in newborns is a very useful tool to assess growth and identify nutritional risk, in order to design and implement an adequate nutrition care plan. Anthropometry helps estimate total body mass, fat mass and fat free mass through measures of the body.The most useful anthropometric measurements in the hospitalized newborn include: weight (total body mass), length (body and bone size), circumferences (head, mid arm, thorax, and thigh) and skin folds (subcutaneous fat). To assure quality in anthropometric measurements it is essential to know the correct technique, to be standardized and use reference values from a similar population. The combination of 2 different measurements may provide useful prognostic and diagnostic nutritional indexes. Anthropometry should be including in any neonatal unit as part of a complete nutritional assessment of this population.

Palavras-chave : Growth; neonatal anthropometry; neonatal nutrition; anthropometric standardization; anthropometric measurements; circumferences; skin folds.

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