Comparative analysis of height estimation methods in hospitalized adults and elders.

INTRODUCTION: Height is one of the measurements required for the assessment of body composition and for devising a nutritional plan for hospitalized patients. Due to the impossibility to measure the height of such patients in various situations, alternative estimation methods are necessary.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the self-reported height and different height estimation methods with the real height of adults and elders hospitalized in a public teaching hospital of Santa Catarina.

METHODS: The study subjects were 241 adults and elders of both genders. Real height (gold standard), recumbent height, knee height, arm length and demi-span were measured, as well as the self-reported height, which was recorded. Self-reported height and estimated height by different methods were compared to real height through a paired t-test and Bland-Altman analysis.

RESULTS: The most accurate and concordant results were estimated through recumbent height, which was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between real height and all study groups. The height obtained through a formula that uses arm length and demi-span and the self-reported height also had satisfactory results among certain groups. The formulae that uses knee height was the only one that resulted in underestmation of height for all study groups.

CONCLUSION: The height estimation method that stood out as the most accurate was recumbent height assessed with a stadiometer. The best results in this study were found with methods of easy applicability and low cost.