Examination of Children’s Height and Weight according to Standard NCHS Growth Curve: A cross-sectional Study in the Jiroft Township

Abstract

<span class="fontstyle0">Introduction: </span><span class="fontstyle2">Measuring children's and adolescents' height and weight are among the most important information sources and the best index for<br />the assessment of individual growth status and community's nutrition and health status. Regular measurements of height and weight and recording<br />the data on proper curves lead to the timely identification of growth disorders. The present study aimed at determining the average height, weight,<br />and body mass index of 6-18-year-old boys and girls in Jiroft Town and comparing the results with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).<br /></span><span class="fontstyle0">Method: </span><span class="fontstyle2">In this study, the values for height, weight, and body mass index of 5850 children aged between 6 and 18 were examined in a stratified<br />random fashion. Growth percentile curves for height, weight, and body mass index were plotted by Microsoft Excel Software.<br /></span><span class="fontstyle0">Results: </span><span class="fontstyle2">In comparison to the NCHS height and weight percentiles, the data of the present study showed lower values for the studied children.<br />The comparison of BMI percentiles of boys and girls with NCHS percentiles for each age proved that until the age of 8, the BMI percentiles are fit<br />to NCHS percentiles. This is while in older ages, the calculated BMI percentiles of males and females were remarkably lower than NCHS<br />percentiles.<br /></span><span class="fontstyle0">Conclusion: </span><span class="fontstyle2">Based on the results, it is generally concluded that using foreign criteria leads to a false diagnosis of underweight or shortness in some<br />children and it is recommended to apply native and country-level percentiles for the examination of children's growth.</span> <br /><br />