Implementation of new indicators of pediatric malnutrition and comparison to previous indicators.

Background: Early identification of childhood malnutrition is imperative to improve overall health outcomes, and more importantly, to start early intervention to decrease the risk of future complications. This study aimed to evaluate new malnutrition Z-score growth indicators for detecting pediatric malnutrition and degrees of severity and compare their accuracy with that of growth chart centiles.

Patients And Methods: This retrospective study included 475 pediatric patients from several pediatric nutrition clinics for six months.