Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 General Practitioner, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Department of Epidemiology, School of Health, Management & Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

3 M.Sc. of Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

4 Assistant Professor of Chinese medicine, Faculty of Traditional Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

10.22038/ijn.2023.69136.2339

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization has introduced two sets of child growth standards for growth assessment. These reference values may not be suitable for use in other populations. Therefore, we determined specific Z scores in the population covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran.

Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on data obtained from the evaluation of height, weight, and head circumference of children aged from 0 to 18 months visiting the healthcare centers of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from March 2018 to March 2021. A total data of 128,472 children were extracted from the SINA System and included in the study. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using Minitab and SPSS 16 software programs.

Results: L, M and S parameters and Z scores of weight , height, and head circumference were calculated, and the Z scores, and standard deviation values for each age from our study and international standards were compared and the differences were determined. The findings indicate that the calculated values are different from those of CDC and WHO standards.

Conclusion: The provision of this exclusive reference of children's growth indicators not only allows for a more accurate evaluation but also provides the possibility of comparison with other populations using their specific growth charts. It seems that one of the best plans is to compare growth charts with international populations and national growth charts, which due to the electronization of the entire processes of the health system, is more possible than ever.

Keywords