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Growth and nutritional status of rural preschool children in Saudi Arabia
F Serenius1, D Fougerouse, Z Sebai
1Department of Pediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Saudi children aged 0-71 months in rural areas exhibit significant growth deficits, with high rates of chronic and acute undernourishment. Their growth patterns mirror those in developing countries, unlike privileged Saudi children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Growth Monitoring
- Public Health in Saudi Arabia
Background:
- Childhood growth is a key indicator of health and development.
- Undernutrition remains a significant public health challenge in many developing regions.
- Assessing growth patterns in specific populations is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the growth status of Saudi children aged 0-71 months in rural areas.
- To identify the prevalence of undernourishment based on international standards.
- To compare the growth patterns with reference populations.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study design involving children from three rural Saudi Arabian geographical areas.
- Measurement of weight, height, weight-for-height, and head circumference, expressed as SD scores.
- Assessment of upper arm muscle and fat areas as percentages of reference median values.
- Classification of undernourishment using World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.
Main Results:
- Mean anthropometric measurements (weight, height, head circumference) were significantly below international reference standards.
- Median upper arm muscle and fat areas were substantially lower than reference values (79% and 57%, respectively).
- High prevalence of undernourishment: 41% chronically undernourished and 12% acutely undernourished.
- Growth deficits were evident from early infancy and persisted or worsened up to 6 years of age.
Conclusions:
- Rural Saudi children exhibit significant growth faltering and high rates of undernourishment.
- The observed growth pattern aligns with that of children in developing countries.
- Interventions are needed to address the nutritional challenges faced by this population.
Abstract:
The attained growth was assessed in a cross-sectional study of Saudi children 0-71 months of age, from 3 different geographical areas of rural Saudi Arabia. Individual data on weight, height, weight for height and head circumference were expressed in SD scores of international standards, and data on upper arm muscle and fat areas in percent of the reference median values. The mean (SEM) weight, height, weight for height and head circumference of the entire material were -1.7 (0.05), -1.6 (0.06), -0.9 (0.05) and -1.6 (0.06), respectively. The median upper arm muscle area was 79 percent, and fat area 57 percent of the reference medians. The differences in mean weight, height and weight for height were trivial between the 3 geographical areas. All mean values, except that of weight for height were clearly below the means of the reference in children 0-5 months. All mean values declined significantly, however, during the next 6 months. The growth deficits thus obtained remained unchanged or increased slightly up to 6 years. According to WHO criteria, 41 percent were classified as chronically, and 12 percent as acutely undernourished. The growth pattern of rural Saudi children was similar to that of children in most developing countries and distinctly different from that of privileged Saudi children, whose growth pattern resembled that of Western reference populations.