PW16 - AGREEMENT BETWEEN DIFFERENT NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN DETECTING ACUTE MALNUTRITION AMONG CHILDREN AGED 5–59 MONTHS DURING THE WAR IN GAZA

PW16

AGREEMENT BETWEEN DIFFERENT NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN DETECTING ACUTE MALNUTRITION AMONG CHILDREN AGED 5–59 MONTHS DURING THE WAR IN GAZA

N. A. Barqawi^1,*, A. S. abutair², M. S. alfaqawi³

¹independent researcher, independent reseacher, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, ²Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Azhar University , ³Department of Public Health, AlQuds University, Gaza, Palestinian, State of

Rationale: Acute malnutrition is a critical concern among children in war-affected areas like Gaza, where food insecurity and healthcare disruptions heighten vulnerability. This study evaluates the agreement between MUAC and WHZ to ensure reliable malnutrition assessment and guide targeted interventions during conflict.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to July 2024 among 464 children aged 6–59 months in northern and southern Gaza using convenience sampling. Anthropometric data were collected, and acute malnutrition was assessed using WHO criteria for WHZ and MUAC. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated to evaluate the agreement between MUAC and WHZ.

Results: Based on WHZ and MUAC criteria, 11.9% and 11.6% of children were classified with acute malnutrition, respectively. MUAC showed a sensitivity of 0.92, specificity of 0.41, positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.92, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.40. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for MUAC was 0.663, indicating poor diagnostic agreement with WHZ.

Conclusion: Although MUAC demonstrated high sensitivity and positive predictive value, its low specificity, low NPV, and poor AUC indicate limited agreement with WHZ. Therefore, MUAC alone may not be sufficient to accurately detect all cases of acute malnutrition among children in emergency settings.

Disclosure of Interest: N. Barqawi Other: No conflict of interest to disclose, A. abutair Other: No conflict of interest to disclose., M. alfaqawi Other: No conflict of interest to disclose.