Anthropometric survey on preschool children in yasuj 1380

ABSTRACT

Growth and development are basic subjects in pediatric health.Deviation in growth patterns are nonspecific but important indicators of serious medical disorders. Anthropometric survey in any region and for any child group is essential for the evaluation of growth pattern and factors that affect it. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 1822 children aged 64-82 months in Yasuj, Iran were evaluated for body weight, height, sex, birth grade, parents' education and job and number of sibling. Analysis of data showed wasting in 6.5% [118 children], stunting in 6% [106 children] and underweight in 10.3% [187 children]. Boys had lower anthropometric measures than girls when compared with NCHS' standard particularly for weight for age [p= 0.0001] and height for age [p=0.0003]. Results also showed that a few factors were more important for stunting including fathers education [p=0.0001], mothers education [p=0.0001], birth grade [p=0,02] and numbers of sibling [p=0.0009]. Also factors which affected underweight were fathers education [p=0.005], mothers education [p=0.013] and birth grade [p=0.04]. This factors did not have any meaningful effect on wasting. In general, weight for age, height for age and weight for height in 64-82 month children in Yasuj are below 50% of NCHS standards. Further study is needed to detect other factors that might deteriorate child growth pattern. Accordingly, those factors need to be changed actively