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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Weight-for-height of children in Iran
M Hosseini1, R G Carpenter, K Mohammad
1Tehran University of Medical Sciences, I.R. Iran.
Insights
This study computed weight-for-height centiles for Iranian children and adolescents. Results show Body Mass Index (BMI) charts are reliable for assessing weight-for-height in most Iranian children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Anthropometry
Background:
- Accurate assessment of child growth is crucial for public health.
- Existing growth charts may not be universally applicable.
- Weight-for-height centiles are key indicators of nutritional status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compute weight-for-height centiles for Iranian children and adolescents aged 2-18.
- To compare centiles derived from Z-scores with those from Body Mass Index (BMI) charts.
- To establish reliable BMI-based charts for assessing weight-for-height in Iran.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 1990-1992 National Health Survey of Iran.
- Computed weight-for-height centiles using weight-for-age and height-for-age Z-scores.
- Compared these centiles with those derived from BMI (weight/height²) charts.
Main Results:
- Normal BMI-for-age ranges closely align with weight-for-height ranges by age.
- BMI charts developed from Tehran children are applicable to all Iranian children.
- Specific upper centile data is provided for short children aged 2-5.
Conclusions:
- BMI charts are a reliable tool for assessing weight-for-height in Iranian children and adolescents.
- The study provides a valuable resource for monitoring child growth in Iran.
- Recommendations are made for specific age groups requiring tailored assessment.
Abstract:
Weight and height data were obtained from the 1990-1992 National Health Survey, a random cluster sample survey of 1 in 1000 families in Iran. Weight-for-height centiles of children and adolescents aged 2 to 18 in Tehran have been computed from relationships between weight for age and height for age Z-scores. The resulting centiles are compared to weight-for-height centiles based on BMI (weight/height2) charts. Investigation of the data points age by age revealed that there are very few observations between the two sets of 3rd and 97th centiles, so that the normal range of BMI for age is effectively equivalent to the normal range of weight-for-height by age. Further analysis shows that BMI charts based on the subset of children living in urban Tehran may be reliably used for all children in Iran to determine the normal range of weight-for-height except for short children aged 2 to 5 for whom a table of the upper centiles is given.
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