This criterion for identifying the poor was compared with the indirect method (more traditional in the region), which defines poverty on the basis of per capita household income. The basis for this was an analysis of available surveys of living conditions in households in the region, providing data for implementing both methodologies. To enhance the diagnostic study, the assessment of Latin America and the Caribbean also used thresholds of moderate deprivation, which reflect unmet needs that undermine children's well-being and development.