Assistive System for Monitoring Malnutrition in Children

Monitoring key health indicators can provide early detection of conditions associated with malnutrition and anemia. This paper presents an automated system for assessing Body Mass Index (BMI) and hemoglobin concentration to enable efficient, non-invasive health monitoring. BMI, calculated from weight and height, is a widely used measure, while anemia -a condition affecting a large segment of the global population -typically requires invasive blood tests. To address this, a novel near-infrared optical method using red and infrared LEDs is employed, based on a redesigned Beer-Lambert law that compensates for light attenuation at nonlocal sites, allowing for hemoglobin estimation without invasive procedures. Integrated with ESP32 microcontrollers, the system includes large-scale weight and height measurement units, which transfer data to an IoT (Internet of Things) cloud and display information on an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) screen. This low-cost system supports real-time, accessible health monitoring.