Secular Trends in Physical Growth Among Peruvian Children and Adolescents Living at High Altitudes

We aim (1) to examine secular trends in height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) among Peruvian children and adolescents living in the city of Junín and (2) to compare their growth status with the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reference data.

The sample included 2874 Peruvians (n = 1681 in the 2009 cohort and n = 1193 in the 2019 cohort) aged 6-16 years from the district of Junín (4107 m of altitude). Height, weight, and WC were measured using standardized protocols. Within each sex, a two-way between-subjects analysis of variance-age, and cohort as main factors and age-by-cohort as the interaction-was used to test for differences in height, weight, and WC. STATA 17 software was used in all statistical analyses.

Height revealed a positive secular trend among girls, aged 6-11 years, and among boys up to 14 years of age. Similar positive secular trends in weight and WC were found across all age groups in both boys and girls. Compared to North American peers, children in the 2009 cohort were shorter, lighter, and had a smaller WC. For weight and WC, the 2019 cohort overlapped the 50th percentile across all age groups (except for 16-year-old girls).

Both boys' and girls' height, weight, and WC showed positive secular trends between 2009 and 2019, with statistically significant differences varying across age groups. Peruvian youth of both sexes were shorter and lighter than their North American peers.