Growth pattern of Qatari preschool children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Growth Monitoring
• Nutritional Status Assessment
• Public Health Research

Background:

• Establishing accurate growth references is crucial for pediatric health.
• Existing international growth charts may not fully represent diverse populations.
• Understanding local growth patterns informs targeted health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the growth patterns of Qatari preschool children (0-5 years) with NCHS/CDC growth charts.
• To establish a potential growth standard for Qatari children.
• To assess the nutritional status of Qatari children.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 8,231 Qatari children aged 0-5 years.
• Data collected on weight, height, and age using stratified random sampling.
• Comparison of measured data against National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NCHS/CDC) growth charts.

Main Results:

• Boys were significantly taller than girls in specific age groups (0-6, 6-12, 48-54, 54-60 months).
• Boys exhibited significantly higher weight patterns across all age groups (p<0.001).
• Prevalence of stunting (11%), being taller than normal (5.4%), undernourishment (4.4%), and severe undernourishment (0.6%) was observed.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of Qatari children demonstrated normal or above-normal nutritional status.
• The study provides a growth pattern that may serve as a standard for monitoring Qatari children's growth.
• Findings are relevant for public health initiatives in Qatar and the broader Gulf region.