PubMed · 10490449
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L D Voss. 1999. Short but normal.. https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.81.4.370
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Linear growth retardation during childhood is a determinant of short stature and impaired capacities in adults of developing countries. To study the effect of diarrhea on height during childhood, the authors followed a birth cohort of 224 Peruvian children for 35 months with records of daily diarrhea and monthly anthropometry. This study was conducted from April 1995 to December 1998. At 24 months of age, study children were 2.5 cm shorter than the US National Center for Health Statistics/World Health Organization growth reference. A diarrheal prevalence of 2.3% in the first 24 months of life explained 2-27% of this growth deficit. There was a 2-month delay before the effects of diarrhea on height became manifest. Height deficits were proportional to diarrheal prevalence. For example, children ill with diarrhea 10% of the time during the first 24 months were 1.5 cm shorter than children who never had diarrhea. In addition, the adverse effects of diarrhea on height varied by age. Diarrhea during the first 6 months of life resulted in long-term height deficits that were likely to be permanent. In contrast, diarrhea after 6 months of age showed transient effects. Study results indicate that diarrhea control, especially during the first 6 months of life, is likely to improve linear growth in Peruvian children.
UNLABELLED: On account of the recent increases in prevalence of childhood obesity in Western countries, the present study tried to verify a secular trend for increasing body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) in preschool children in Aachen, Germany. The total sample was based on weight and height data for all 99,500 children of German nationality before enrollment in school in the City of Aachen from 1968-1999. For each year, 10% of the boys and girls respectively, were randomly selected for the analyses. Quantile regression was used to examine the pattern and extent of change in BMI percentiles over this 31-year period. Anthropometric data of a total of 5081 boys and 4863 girls were subjected to quantile regression. While significant increases occurred for any given BMI percentile, the annual increase for both sexes was most prominent in the upper range. No change in body height was observed during the study period. CONCLUSION: preschool children have gained a higher body mass index during the last 30 years. The mechanisms underlying the secular trend towards increasing body mass index seemingly affect children in the upper weight range more than those in the lower range.
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