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Growth of Hmong children
D K Gjerdingen1, M Ireland, K M Chaloner
1Department of Family Practice and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
|December 1, 1996
Summary
This study tracked Hmong child growth, finding they were heavier initially but shorter than National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards by 24 months. Hmong children were proportionately heavier for their height.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Growth and Development
- Anthropometry
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood growth patterns are crucial for assessing health and development.
- Reference populations, such as the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) standards, are vital for comparative growth analysis.
- Understanding ethnic-specific growth trajectories is important for targeted health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the growth patterns of young Hmong children.
- To compare the length and weight of Hmong children to established NCHS growth percentiles.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive, comparative study analyzing medical chart data.
- Included 579 Hmong children aged 0-5 years (1988-1994).
- Compared length and weight measures against NCHS standards.
Main Results:
- Hmong children's lengths were similar to NCHS standards for the first 6-12 months.
- By 24 months, median length fell below the 25th NCHS percentile.
- Average weight was slightly above NCHS median until 8 months, then similar.
Conclusions:
- Hmong children were heavier in early infancy but shorter than NCHS reference children after the first year.
- The findings suggest Hmong children are proportionately heavier for their height compared to the NCHS population.
- These growth differences highlight the need for culturally-sensitive growth monitoring.