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Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools

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Growth disorders among 6-year-old Iranian children

Roya Kelishadi¹, Masoud Amiri², Mohammad Esmaeil Motlagh³

¹Child Growth and Development Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IR Iran.

Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

|July 29, 2014

Insights

Growth disorders like underweight, overweight, obesity, and short stature are unevenly distributed among 6-year-old Iranian children. This study highlights the need for targeted, provincial-level health policies to address these disparities.

Area of Science:

Pediatric endocrinology
Public health
Geographic information systems (GIS)

Background:

Sociodemographic factors significantly influence weight disorders.
National studies are crucial for understanding health issues at various levels.
Growth disorders in children pose a significant public health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the geographical distribution of body mass index (BMI) and height disorders in 6-year-old Iranian children.
To utilize geographical information system (GIS) for visualizing growth disorder patterns.
To identify regional disparities in child growth metrics.

Main Methods:

Nationwide cross-sectional survey of 955,388 Iranian children in 2009.
Inclusion of children from public and private elementary schools.
Descriptive analysis of underweight, overweight, obesity, and short stature prevalence, visualized with ArcGIS software.

Main Results:

Overall prevalence: 20% underweight, 14.3% high BMI (10.9% overweight, 3.4% obese), and 6.6% short stature.
Significant geographical variations in the distribution of these growth disorders across Iranian provinces.
Unequal distribution observed both nationally and within most provinces.

Conclusions:

Confirmed unequal distribution of BMI and height in 6-year-old Iranian children.
Socioeconomic patterns alone do not fully explain provincial differences in growth disorders.
Necessity for a national policy supported by evidence-based provincial programs to address disparities.

Read full analysis

Abstract

Background:

Sociodemographic factors are important determinants of weight disorders. National representative studies provide a view on this health problem at national and regional levels.

Objectives:

This study aimed to assess the distribution of growth disorders in terms of body mass index (BMI) and height in 6-year-old Iranian children using geographical information system (GIS).

Materials And Methods:

In this cross-sectional nationwide survey, all Iranian children entering public and private elementary schools were examined in a mandatory national screening program in 2009. Descriptive analysis was used to calculate the prevalence of underweight, overweight, obesity, and short stature. Then, ArcGIS software was used to draw the figures.

Results:

The study population consisted of 955388 children (48.5% girls and 76.5% urban). Overall, 20% of children were underweight, and 14.3% had high BMI, consisted of 10.9% overweight and 3.4% obese. The corresponding figure for short stature was 6.6%; however, these growth disorders were not equally distributed across various provinces.

Conclusions:

Our results confirmed unequal distribution of BMI and height of 6-year-old children in Iran generally and in most of its provinces particularly. The differences among provinces cannot be fully explained by the socioeconomic pattern. These findings necessitate a comprehensive national policy with provincial evidence-based programs.

Keywords:

Body Mass Index Child Socioeconomic Factors

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