Growth reference for Saudi preschool children: LMS parameters and percentiles

Area of Science:

• Pediatric growth assessment
• Public health surveillance
• Child development research

Background:

• Existing Saudi child growth charts lack detailed parameters for research and electronic health records.
• Accurate growth monitoring is crucial for early detection of developmental issues in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To publish Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) parameters and percentiles for Saudi preschool children.
• To provide comprehensive growth charts for clinical and research use.
• To establish updated growth standards for Saudi children aged 0-60 months.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a nationally representative sample of Saudi children (n=15601).
• Application of the Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) methodology to reanalyzed growth data.
• Calculation of L, M, and S parameters for key growth indicators.

Main Results:

• Detailed LMS parameters and percentile charts (3rd-97th) are presented for weight-for-age, length/height-for-age, head circumference-for-age, weight-for-length/height, and BMI-for-age.
• Data covers boys and girls from birth to 60 months (5 years).
• The study includes 15,601 Saudi children, with 50.6% being boys.

Conclusions:

• The published data and charts facilitate growth assessment for Saudi preschool children.
• These updated parameters support clinical practice and research in child health.
• Limitations include the lack of interregional growth variation data.