From the Department of Biostatistics, Shiraz, Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran
Abstract: (4788 Views)
Studies of human growth throughout Iran since 1966 have been surveyed
critically. Only 32 papers and 15 research reports on this very crucial issue
have been published or compiled so far, most of them on Tehran and Shiraz,
which is negligible in comparison with American or European and even some
African and Asian studies. Though measurements of height and weight
naturally predominate, arm circumference, head circumference and skinfold
thickness are also extensively documented. People are now heavier and taller
than reported previously. Children in well-off homes everywhere grow faster
than those in poor homes and urban children grow faster than rural children.
The necessity for using local standards covering all age groups for clinical
work in Iran is emphasised and a longitudinal growth study is suggested. A
study of the pattern of growth and its related complex factors would serve as an
invaluable asset in planning and (evaluation of community health service and
health promotion. The paper also provides a comprehensive bibliography of
growth studies in Iran which would be helpful to the interested researchers in
this field.