<prompt> Acute malnutrition in a child is clinically assessed by: September 2005Body mass indexWeight for ageHeight for ageWeight for height  <response>: Ans. D: Weight for height An indicator known as weight-for-height is used to determine whether a child is acutely malnourished or not. The childs weight is compared to the normal weight for that height. Based on this information, the World Health Organisation WHO has developed chas known as international standards for expected growth. If a childs weight falls within the range considered normal for hisher height, the child is found to be well-nourished. If the weight is less than the international standards, the child is considered acutely malnourished or wasted. WHO has created cut-off points to indicate the severity of the malnutrition. If a childs weight-for-height is less than -2 z-scores or standard detions of normal children, she is considered to suffer from moderate acute malnutrition or wasting. If the childs weight-for-height is less than -3 z-scores standard detions of normal children she suffers from severe acute malnutrition and is considered to be severely wasted. Another measurement used to determine a childs nutritional status is the mid-upper arm circumference MUAC measurement. Because MUAC measurements require a simple, colour-coded measuring band rather than weighing scales and height boards, they are often used during crisis situations. Useful for children between six months and five years of age, a MUAC measurement of less than 12.5 cm indicates that a child is suffering from moderate acute malnutrition. If the MUAC measurement is under 11.0 cm, however, the under-five childs life may be in danger as he or she is suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Although no anthropometric measure is a perfect marker of acute malnutrition, in the past, there has been a tendency to view WH measures as the gold-standard anthropometric measure to diagnose acute malnutrition in emergencies. Discrepancies between MUAC and WH have therefore been explained by MUAC being a poor indicator of nutritional status. A third way of diagnosing acute malnutrition is by testing for the presence of oedema. Oedema affects a childs appearance, giving him or her a puffy, swollen look in either lower limbs and feet or face. It can be detected by small pits or indentations remaining in the childs lower ankles or feet, after pressing lightly with the thumbs. The presence of oedema in both feet and lower legs is always considered a sign of severe acute malnutrition. 