Mid-arm and calf circumferences (MAC and CC) are better than body mass index (BMI) in predicting health status and mortality risk in institutionalized elderly Taiwanese.

The study was to compare the ability of BMI, MAC and CC in predicting nutritional status, functional ability and follow-up mortality risk of older adults. The study purposively recruited 160 of 320 residents of a nursing home in Central Taiwan to serve as subjects. Residents who were ≥65 years old, cognitively normal, without acute conditions and non-hospitalized were qualified to participate.