Physical growth and development of Saudi adolescents: a cross sectional study

ABSTRACT

An attempt was made to describe the patterns of growth and development of Saudi adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 and to compare their results with their non-Saudi counterparts. 218 Saudi and 57 non-Saudi boys were randomly selected from Intermediate schools in the City of Riyadh. Measurements of height, weight, grip strength and the circumferences of shoulder, chest, abdomen, buttock, thigh, calf, ankle, arm, forearm and wrist were taken. Results indicated that Saudi boys appeared to have lower measurements than that of non- Saudi's, though the differences were only significant at age 13. A comparison with available data from world population was also made