Volume 20, Issue 3 (11-2006)                   Med J Islam Repub Iran 2006 | Back to browse issues page

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AYATOLLAHI S, POUR-AHMAD S, SHAYAN Z. SECULAR TRENDS IN GROWTH AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN OF SHIRAZ (SOUTHERN IRAN) BORN IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD. Med J Islam Repub Iran 2006; 20 (3) :141-146
URL: http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/article-1-377-en.html
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. P.O.Box: 71345-1874, School of Public Health , anayatolahim@sums.ac.ir
Abstract:   (5545 Views)

 ABSTRACT

 Background: Secular trends in stature, weight and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) of 2397 school children (1268 boys and 1129 girls) of the same age (6.5-11.5 years) and sex in representative samples from primary schools of Shiraz (southern Iran) at an interval of 15 years (1988 vs 2003) are reported.

 Methods: Cross-sectional weight, height and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) curves were created for both sexes. One sample t-tests were utilized to analyze differences between average height, weight and MUAC of the 1988 and 2003 samples (the values of the previous study treated as constant).

 Results: Both samples included children of various socio-economic backgrounds for both males and females of each age-class. There are significant positive secular trends in stature, weight and MUAC of children born in the post-war period sampled in 2003. These children are generally taller, heavier, and larger than their peers of 15 years earlier born pre- and during the imposed war period of Iraq against Iran. The 2003 sample shows less growth deficits in relation to the CDC reference data.

 Conclusion: The positive trend can be explained as the result of economic development and improvement of social and health indicators in Iran in the post-war period.

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