Consistency of Weight and Height Measurement in Clinics from the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry (NSBPR)

Mentor 1

Michele Polfuss

Location

Union Wisconsin Room

Start Date

28-4-2017 1:30 PM

End Date

28-4-2017 4:00 PM

Description

Accurately measuring height and weight or estimating body fat in children with spina bifida (SB) is complicated, which ultimately impacts the ability to prevent or treat obesity in this population. Weight and height serve to calculate body mass index (BMI) to indicate a child's weight status by age and gender. Currently, there is no policy or recommendation on how to properly measure height and/or estimate body fat in children with SB. We interviewed staff members of the NSBPR clinic sites to determine: (a) methods of height and weight measurements currently used for individuals with SB and (b) potential variations by clinic, mobility status and/or age group.

Methods This descriptive quality improvement project included two staff members from each of the 19 NSBPR clinic sites (n=38). For each clinic, the goal was to include a NSBPR principal investigator/co-investigator and a staff member who performs anthropometric measures for individuals with SB. Individual phone interviews based on a structured interview guide were conducted. Descriptive and thematic analysis were used.

Results Sites appear to be highly consistent in measuring height and weight for individuals able to walk, although there are inconsistencies in the inclusion of braces when measuring weight. Inconsistencies are more pronounced in measuring those who use wheelchairs, often due to scoliosis, contractures, or limited mobility. The results will be fully discussed at the conference.

Conclusion Understanding the consistency of measurement of height and weight is fundamental to using these measures in analyses of the NSBPR data. Accurate measures will be even more important in the future in developing an algorithm to estimate fat mass in individuals with SB.

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Apr 28th, 1:30 PM Apr 28th, 4:00 PM

Consistency of Weight and Height Measurement in Clinics from the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry (NSBPR)

Union Wisconsin Room

Accurately measuring height and weight or estimating body fat in children with spina bifida (SB) is complicated, which ultimately impacts the ability to prevent or treat obesity in this population. Weight and height serve to calculate body mass index (BMI) to indicate a child's weight status by age and gender. Currently, there is no policy or recommendation on how to properly measure height and/or estimate body fat in children with SB. We interviewed staff members of the NSBPR clinic sites to determine: (a) methods of height and weight measurements currently used for individuals with SB and (b) potential variations by clinic, mobility status and/or age group.

Methods This descriptive quality improvement project included two staff members from each of the 19 NSBPR clinic sites (n=38). For each clinic, the goal was to include a NSBPR principal investigator/co-investigator and a staff member who performs anthropometric measures for individuals with SB. Individual phone interviews based on a structured interview guide were conducted. Descriptive and thematic analysis were used.

Results Sites appear to be highly consistent in measuring height and weight for individuals able to walk, although there are inconsistencies in the inclusion of braces when measuring weight. Inconsistencies are more pronounced in measuring those who use wheelchairs, often due to scoliosis, contractures, or limited mobility. The results will be fully discussed at the conference.

Conclusion Understanding the consistency of measurement of height and weight is fundamental to using these measures in analyses of the NSBPR data. Accurate measures will be even more important in the future in developing an algorithm to estimate fat mass in individuals with SB.