Body mass index reference curves for Tunisian children

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Accurate Body Mass Index (BMI) reference curves are crucial for evaluating child health and nutritional status.
• Existing BMI references may not accurately represent diverse pediatric populations, necessitating localized data.
• Increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in children highlights the need for updated growth monitoring tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct age- and sex-specific Body Mass Index (BMI) reference curves for Tunisian children and adolescents.
• To compare the newly derived Tunisian BMI curves with international standards (IOTF, WHO) and regional references (Algeria, Turkey).
• To assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Tunisian children and adolescents using the new reference curves.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the LMS (Lambda, Mu, Sigma) method for constructing smoothed percentile curves.
• Employed data from a large cohort of 4358 Tunisian children (2182 girls, 2176 boys) aged 0-18 years.
• Performed comparative analysis against established international and local BMI reference data.

Main Results:

• Generated smoothed percentile curves for BMI based on age and sex for Tunisian children.
• Observed variations in median percentiles between the new Tunisian BMI curves and those from IOTF, WHO, Algeria, and Turkey.
• Identified an increasing trend in overweight prevalence, particularly among adolescent children.

Conclusions:

• The newly constructed BMI reference curves provide a vital tool for Tunisian pediatricians and health specialists.
• These localized curves will enhance the accurate assessment of nutritional status in children and adolescents.
• Implementation of these references can contribute to early identification and management of childhood obesity and related health risks.