Britnell Sally, Taylor Steve, Koziol-McLain Jane
Department of Nursing, School of Clinical Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
Emerg Med Australas. 2016 Oct;28(5):558-63. doi: 10.1111/1742-6723.12637. Epub 2016 Jun 20.
To derive novel emergency weight estimation tables for New Zealand children aged 5-10 years using ethnicity and sex to increase accuracy and precision.
Using an existing dataset (collected in five New Zealand primary schools during July 2013; n = 376), body mass index and current emergency weight estimates were calculated. Stepwise regression with Akanke Information produced two best-fit models for predicting weight, one based on age and the other on height. Potential explanatory variables included ethnicity, sex and body habitus.
The length-based model included height, ethnicity and body habitus. Accuracy (weight estimates within 10% of actual weight) for the length-based lookup table (74.8%) was similar to that for the Broselow-Luten tape (73.4%). The age-based model included age, sex, ethnicity and body habitus. Accuracy (51.3%) for the age-based lookup table was better than for existing formulae including Shann (45.7%), Advanced Paediatric Life Support (39.1%) and Theron (28.7%).
The most accurate method for weight estimation in Auckland children aged 5-10 years is either the novel length-based lookup table or the existing Broselow-Luten tape. When length-based methods are not possible, the age-based lookup tables incorporating age, sex, ethnicity and body habitus are more accurate than existing methods of weight estimation.
