Best indicator for nutritional status for a child is ?
Mid arm circumference
Head circumference
Rate of increase of height and weight
Chest circumference
Ans. is 'c' i.e., Rate of increase o Health and development are intimately interconnected. o Proper nutrition of children is fundamental to the achievement of sustainable development. o Anthropometric measurements are the most widely used indicators of nutritional status in a community. o The commonly used antropometric measurements are - Weight Length / height Arm circumference Chest circumference Skin fold thickness o Measurment of weight and rate in gain in weight are the best single parameters for assessing physical growth. o The comparison of a child's height and weight with the standard growth cha helps to determine if the paicular child is within the expected normal range for his age, sex and socioeconomic status. o It does not indicate if the rate of growth of child was normal in the recent past. o The point to stress here is that it is very difficult to recognize a recent disturbance in growth by comparing weight or height with the reference standards because a clearly abnormal percentile position on the growth cha becomes evident only when the factors retarding growth are profound or if they have persisted for a considerable time. o Measurement of the velocity of growth or increment in unit time is a better tool for early identification of factors affecting growth and also for assessment of usefulness of social and remedial measures.