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Growth pattern of Qatari preschool children.

AIM
To compare the growth patterns of Qatari preschool children aged 0-5 years with the growth reference charts developed by the American National Center for Health Statistics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NCHS/CDC).


METHODS
The demographic data of weight, height, and age were collected in a cross-sectional study among 8,231 Qatar children aged 0-5 years. There were 4,136 (50.2%) boys and 4,095 (49.8%) girls. The children were selected by a cross-sectional stratified random sampling procedure based on the stratification on the location and a socio-economic status. The measured data were compared with NCHS/CD growth charts.


RESULTS
The boys were significantly taller than girls in age groups 0-6 months (58.3+/-4.1 vs 57.4+/-4.0 cm, respectively; p<0.001), 6-12 months (66.7+/-4.0 vs 66.2+/-5.1 cm, respectively; p=0.018), 48-54 months (102.1+/-3.6 vs 100.9+/-3.9 cm, respectively; p<0.001), and 54-60 months (106+/-4.8 vs 103.1+/-3.5 cm, respectively; p<0.001). The boys had significantly heavier weight pattern than the girls in all age groups (p<0.001). The height for boys ranged from 58.3 cm to 106 cm, and for girls from 57.4 cm to 103.1 cm. The weight range for boys was 5.4-17.6 kg and 5.1-16.8 kg for girls. More than 11% of the children had stunted growth, 5.4% of the children were taller than normal for their age, 4.4% of the children were undernourished, and 0.6% were severely undernourished.


CONCLUSION
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 of Qatari children had normal or slightly above normal nutritional status. The growth pattern we presented may suffice as a standard for monitoring the growth of Qatari children in particular, and those in the Gulf region in general.