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Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026): Volume 6, Issue 2, Year 2026

Articles

Mid-upper arm circumference and Neck Circumference as optimal proxies for Body Mass Index in the Assessment of Malnutrition and Metabolic Risks among the Older Adults in the Rural region of Delhi-NCR, India

  • Nirmal Nath Upadhyay,
  • Shromona Das,
  • Shivani Chandel
Nirmal Nath Upadhyay
Laboratory of Kinanthropometry, Ergonomics and Physiological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India.
Shromona Das
Laboratory of Kinanthropometry, Ergonomics and Physiological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India.
Shivani Chandel
Laboratory of Kinanthropometry, Ergonomics and Physiological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34256/ijk2624

Published 17-08-2026

Keywords

  • Somatometry,
  • Calf circumference,
  • Community-based,
  • Sarcopenia,
  • General Obesity

How to Cite

Upadhyay, N. N., Das, S., & Chandel, S. (2026). Mid-upper arm circumference and Neck Circumference as optimal proxies for Body Mass Index in the Assessment of Malnutrition and Metabolic Risks among the Older Adults in the Rural region of Delhi-NCR, India. International Journal of Kinanthropometry, 6(2), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.34256/ijk2624

Copyright (c) 2026 Nirmal Nath Upadhyay, Shromona Das, Shivani Chandel

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Introduction: BMI is traditionally used as a screening tool to assess malnutrition and evaluate metabolic risks among older adults. But it can misclassify individuals with a low muscle-to-fat ratio by masking progressive muscle loss and simultaneous visceral adiposity. Also, the compression of the vertebral column in older adults raises questions about the validity of height-dependent BMI calculations. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the utility of MUAC and NC as practical somatometric proxies for BMI among community-dwelling older adults in rural Delhi-NCR, India. Methods: A total of 404 participants, aged 60 years or older, were included in this study. Anthropometric variables were assessed using standardized instruments following the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry (ISAK) protocols, i.e., height using an Anthropometer rod; weight using an Omron Karada Scan Body Composition Monitor HBF-375; and MUAC, NC, and CC using a Cescorf anthropometric tape. Statistical significance was defined as ρ>0.60 and p<0.05. Low CC was treated as an indicator of a low muscle-to-fat ratio, a measure of malnutrition, and NC as a biomarker of metabolic risk. Results: NC was significantly correlated with BMI in both males and females (p<0.001). Similarly, among individuals with low CC (n=250), a significantly strong correlation between CC and MUAC was observed (p<0.001) when stratified by sex. Further, 40.40% of the individuals with low CC were misclassified as normal weight, regardless of having a low muscle-to-fat ratio. Conclusion: BMI masks progressive loss in muscle mass and can misclassify older adults while screening for metabolic risks. Hence, it may be an inadequate tool for assessing malnutrition and metabolic risks in the geriatric population. Therefore, using tape measurements such as MUAC and NC in screening older adults for malnutrition and metabolic risks may yield better results.

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