Field Use of Hair Epilation Force in Nutrition Status Assessment

The study assessed the nutritional status of 69 Nigerians, aged 1 month to 75 years, using the Krumdieck trichotillometer to measure hair epilation force (EF). It found that EF was significantly lower in malnourished subjects (25.7 ± 10.6 g) compared to normal subjects (36.5 ± 9.5 g). EF correlated significantly with weight-for-height, mid-arm circumference, mid-arm muscle circumference, and serum albumin, but not with triceps skinfold. The findings suggested that hair pluckability was more affected by protein depletion than energy depletion, indicating that the trichotillometer could be a useful tool for assessing protein nutritional status in the field.