Development of a Photographic Figure-rating Scale for Detection of Wasting Among Infants 9-12 Months in Buyende, Uganda

¹Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Makerere University, Uganda

²School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda

³Mwanamugimu Nutrition Unit, Ministry of Health, Uganda

⁴School of Biomedical Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda

*Corresponding author: Hedwig Acham, Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Makerere University, Uganda, Phone: +256772330240, E-mail: [email protected]

Received Date: April 03, 2025

Published Date: May 19, 2025

Citation: Acham H, et al. (2025). Development of a Photographic Figure-rating Scale for Detection of Wasting Among Infants 9-12 Months in Buyende, Uganda. Mathews J Nutr Diet. 8(1):42.

Copyrights: Acham H, et al. © (2025).

ABSTRACT

Wasting among infants and young children remains a significant public health concern, and accurate identification of infants with severe undernutrition is crucial for ensuring timely intervention and prevention of adverse health outcomes. For mothers with low literacy levels, detection using conventional anthropometric measures can be difficult due to interpretation challenges, leading to delayed maternal care-seeking, and poor health outcomes for the child. This study aimed to develop a photographic figure-rating scale based on WHO weight-for-height z-scores for infants and young children (9-12 months), to empower mothers prevent childhood wasting in the rural communities of Buyende District, Uganda. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 210 mother-infant pairs. A culturally appropriate 5-point figure-rating scale was developed, depicting infant body sizes matching WHO z-scores from -2 to +2. The developed scale showed moderate accuracy (67%) CI: 60.4% - 73.0%; with a sensitivity and specificity value of 64.4% (CI: 57.9% - 70.9) and 77.8% (CI 72.1% – 83.5%); respectively. A positive predictive value of 93.3% (CI: 87.06 – 99.60) demonstrates that most positive results (56/60 were true positives. In conclusion, a 5-point photographic figure-rating scale developed was moderately accurate in detecting wasting in children.

Keywords: Wasting, Infants, Photographic Figure-Rating Scale, Buyende, Uganda.