The Physical Developmental Characterization of Children with Nutritional Deficiencies and Attributed Specific...

There are few studies examining the physical developmental phenotypes of nutritional deficiency diseases (NDDs) among Chinese children aged 1-7 years by anthropometrics and clarifying the specific NDD categories that caused growth faltering.

A total of 3054 cases of NDDs in children aged 1-7 years were investigated. The age, height, and weight of children with NDDs were adjusted by using the skewness coefficient-median-coefficient of variation method, and the results were compared with the WHO standardized level. Comparisons of specific categories of NDDs were performed with respect to the age-specific height standardized values (HAZ), the age-specific weight standardized values (WAZ), and the age-specific body mass index standard values (BAZ).

The subtypes of NDDs among Chinese children were mainly characterized by single and co-morbid deficiencies. Calcium deficiency, vitamin A deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, and vitamin B deficiency were the main types, accounting for 11.33%, 9.26%, 8.70%, and 6.29% of the total confirmed cases, respectively; protein-energy malnutrition combined with vitamin C deficiency was the most common type of combined nutrient deficiency (5.76%). The HAZ (-0.0002), WAZ (-0.0210), and BAZ (-0.0018) of children aged 1-3 years with NDDs was lower than the WHO standard (0), as were the HAZ (-0.0003), WAZ (-0.0219), and BAZ (-0.0019) of children aged 3-7 years. The anthropometrics of children with NDDs aged 1-7 years showed that the HAZ and BAZ were slightly lower than the WHO average level, whereas the WAZ was significantly different from the WHO average. The co-morbidity of vitamin A deficiency and vitamin D deficiency, calcium deficiency and vitamin C deficiency, vitamin D deficiency and vitamin C deficiency, and iodine deficiency and vitamin C deficiency were associated with the WAZ.

The specific categories of NDDs consist mainly of calcium deficiencies, vitamin A deficiencies, and vitamin D deficiencies. The main signs of growth retardation were low weight and height, which were driven by the specific single and co-morbid micronutrient deficiencies.