Medical Journal of The Islamic Republic of Iran (MJIRI)

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The present study was initiated to derive an indirect method for estimating body fat mass (BFM) and to evaluate the correlation between indirect anthropometric techniques for this estimation and to examine the relation of these parameters and of IQ to age of menarche. A total of 578 adolescent girls of ten junior high schools in five educational districts of Mashhad, participated in a cross sectional study during autumn 2000. The data were gathered through questionnaires, interview, measurement of anthropometric parameters including: weight, height, BMI (Body Mass Index), TSF (Triceps Skin Fold) thickness, SSSF (Sub-Scapular Skin Fold) thickness, MUAC (Middle Upper Arm Circumference), and measurement of IQ by Raven test. We demonstrated that anthropometric parameters for estimating BFM correlated well with each other. Age at menarche did not correlate with BFM measured by anthropometric parameters when studied at the onset of menarche, but it did well correlate negatively with these indices if studied any time postmenarche, regardless of the interval between the onset of menarche and the present age (p<0.001). IQ correlated negatively to the age at menarche (p< 0.001). These findings implicate that BFM does not trigger puberty onset in healthy girls, but it does accumulate with a faster rate in the postmenarcheal period so that girls who have an earlier menarche have a higher weight and BMI and greater skinfold thickness than those who enter the menarcheal stage at a later time, and that mental development and physical growth are parallel processes, so that a slower mental development would be expected when physical growth is delayed.

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The present study was initiated to derive an indirect method for estimating body fat mass (BFM) and to evaluate the correlation between indirect anthropometric techniques for this estimation and to examine the relation of these parameters and of IQ to age of menarche. A total of 578 adolescent girls of ten junior high schools in five educational districts of Mashhad, participated in a cross sectional study during autumn 2000. The data were gathered through questionnaires, interview, measurement of anthropometric parameters including: weight, height, BMI (Body Mass Index), TSF (Triceps Skin Fold) thickness, SSSF (Sub-Scapular Skin Fold) thickness, MUAC (Middle Upper Arm Circumference), and measurement of IQ by Raven test. We demonstrated that anthropometric parameters for estimating BFM correlated well with each other. Age at menarche did not correlate with BFM measured by anthropometric parameters when studied at the onset of menarche, but it did well correlate negatively with these indices if studied any time postmenarche, regardless of the interval between the onset of menarche and the present age (p<0.001). IQ correlated negatively to the age at menarche (p< 0.001). These findings implicate that BFM does not trigger puberty onset in healthy girls, but it does accumulate with a faster rate in the postmenarcheal period so that girls who have an earlier menarche have a higher weight and BMI and greater skinfold thickness than those who enter the menarcheal stage at a later time, and that mental development and physical growth are parallel processes, so that a slower mental development would be expected when physical growth is delayed.

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 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.