Accuracy of new CIMDER tapes and the standard MUAC tape for screening nutritional status in children

Background: The mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) to assess children nutritional status under 5 years of age, has been used since late fi fties.Methods: The study was conducted to assess the accuracy in classifying the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age using the new CIMDER tapes compared to the new standard MUAC tape S0145620, distributed by UNICEF, taking weight-for-age as gold-standard from WHO multicenter study. Results. Results: The new CIMDER tapes developed for boys and girls in different age groups, yielded better results than the new standard MUAC tape for all accuracy indicators used.