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The growth pattern of Saudi Arabian pre-school children in Riyadh compared to NCHS/CDC reference population
1Department of Paediatrics (39), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Saudi Arabian preschool children show slightly lower growth than American peers. Factors beyond malnutrition, like health education and social influences, may explain these differences.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutritional Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood growth patterns are crucial indicators of population health.
- Reference data is essential for accurate growth assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the anthropometric growth of Saudi Arabian preschool children (0-5 years) with US reference data.
- To identify growth deviations and potential contributing factors.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 3,795 Saudi Arabian children in Riyadh.
- Stratified random sampling based on location and socio-economic index.
- Analysis using World Health Organization/Centers for Disease Control (WHO/CDC) software for nutritional indicators (height-for-age, weight-for-height).
Main Results:
- Saudi children were slightly shorter and thinner than the US reference population.
- 78.1% exhibited normal or above-normal nutritional status.
- 1.4% were below -2.0 SD for weight-for-height and age; nearly 20% below -2 SD for weight-for-height median.
Conclusions:
- While most Saudi children have adequate nutrition, some show growth deficits compared to US norms.
- Deficits may stem from inadequate health education, genetics, and social factors, not solely malnutrition.
- Further investigation into these non-nutritional factors is warranted.
Abstract:
This study compares the growth patterns of Saudi Arabian pre-school children aged 0-5 years to a reference population of American children documented by the National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control (NCHS/CDC). The anthropometric data of weight, height and age were collected in a cross-sectional study of Saudi Arabian children in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The sample selection was accomplished by a 3-stage stratified random procedure, basing the stratification on location and a socio-economic index. A total of 3,795 children comprising 55.2% males and 44.8% females had complete basic anthropometric measurements among other variables. Analyses were effected by using the WorHealth Organization/Centers for Disease Control (WHO/CDC) standard software programme for calculating nutritional indicators. A combination of height for age (as an indicator of stunting) and weight for height (as an indicator of wasting) showed that a sizeable proportion (78.1%) have normal or slightly above normal nutritional status. A small proportion of the children (1.4%) were below -2.0 SD scores of the reference population for weight for height and for age. Overall, Saudi Arabian children are slightly shorter and thinner than their American counterparts. An important finding in weight for height was that nearly 20% of the children were below -2 SD scores of the reference population median. However, due to the very high per capita income, and the fact that food and other essential items are subsidised by the government, the deficits from this reference population may be attributed to inadequate health education nutrition programmes, genetic and other social factors including reproductive behaviour, rather than malnutrition.