Weighing scales used in the anthropometric assessment of infants under 6 months in emergency situations: A survey of humanitarian relief worker

Objective: The objective of this study was to discover the type of weighing scales most commonly used by humanitarian relief workers to weigh infants under 6 months in emergencies and the type of weighing scales that this group believes to be most suitable for weighing infants under 6 months in emergencies, to generate a hypothesis for field trials.
 

Design: Cross-sectional surveys were carried out by email and telephone.
 

Subjects: The subjects were 41 humanitarian relief workers from different UN agencies, international and local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and governments, working in 25 different countries. All subjects work in emergency nutrition programmes and have recent direct experience weighing infants under 6 months.
 

Results: Respondents most frequently use lightweight, mechanical scales with a maximum capacity of 20-29kg and 100g graduations, for weighing infants under 6 months. Scales are not usually used exclusively for this age group. Hanging spring scales are the most common type of weighing scales used, particularly when respondents work in the community. When working exclusively in clinical settings, respondents are most likely to use balance beam scales with higher precision. Few respondents use adult bench scales and none use infant bench scales. Respondents do not regard any of the existing types of scales as ideal for weighing infants under 6 months. However, of those that exist, respondents believe balance beam scales to be the most suitable for both clinical and community work. Hanging scales are regarded as the least suitable. Adult bench and infant bench scales remain untested.
 

Conclusions: Different weighing scales are needed, from those currently used, to satisfy the demands of humanitarian workers for weighing infants under 6 months in emergencies. Demands may be satisfied by balance beam scales; their suitability now needs to be tested in field trials to form the basis of recommendations to this end. Manufacturers could also consider developing a new type of weighing scales specifically designed for this purpose.

Researched and written by Chloe Angood, Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN). Submitted as MSc research project University of Southampton, Institute of Human Nutrition.