Weight-for-height of south Iranian school children and the NCHS reference data

Weight-for-height charts for pre-pubescent school boys (aged 6-11 years) and girls (aged 6-10) years in Shiraz, Iran, and their relationships to the NCHS data were investigated. Weight-for-height charts for Iranian school children were similar to the NCHS charts except for the higher centiles. Weight-for-height appears to satisfy the need for a simple method to assess nutritional status among school children. The necessity for local weight-for-height reference data for clinical work is emphasized. The weight-for-height charts presented here are likely to be appropriate to all urban school children in Iran.