@article{Rehman_BiBi_Imran_Anwar_Alam_Mohammad_2020, title={Mid upper arm circumference and weight for height z-score as screening tools for acute malnutrition in underweight children <5 years of age}, volume={16}, url={https://pjp.pps.org.pk/index.php/PJP/article/view/1094}, abstractNote={&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Malnutrition is a major risk factor for childhood morbidity and mortality. Mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) is a simple and easy to perform method and now it is considered as a surrogate marker of malnutrition. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of MUAC in detecting acute malnutrition in comparison to weight for height Z-score (WHZ) in underweight children below 5 years of age. &lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;This cross-sectional study was conducted in Paediatrics Department, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad. A total of 200 underweight patients aged 6 months to 5 years were included in the study. Weight for height Z-score and weight for age were determined using WHO child standard growth charts after documenting their growth parameters. The data was analyzed using SPSS-22. &lt;strong&gt;Result:&lt;/strong&gt; Out of 200 patients, 104 (52%) were male and 96 (48%) were female. The mean age was 24.37±16.55 months. Overall 66% children had MUAC below 12.5 Cm while 34% children had MUAC above 12.5 Cm. A total of 116 (58%) children were less than -2SD for WHZ and 84 (42%) were above -2SD WHZ. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/strong&gt; MUAC is a simple, cheap and easy to perform method to quickly screen children with acute malnutrition and it is more specific then WHZ using the cut-off point of &amp;lt;12.5 Cm. MUAC is more specific in detecting acute malnutrition in younger infants as compared to older children.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pak J Physiol 2020;&lt;/strong&gt;16(1):6–9&lt;/p&gt;}, number={1}, journal={Pakistan Journal of Physiology}, author={Rehman, Mujeeb ur and BiBi, Saima and Imran, Imran and Anwar, Hamayun and Alam, Tariq and Mohammad, Khyal}, year={2020}, month={Mar.}, pages={6–9} }