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Subject Area

Neuropsychiatry

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Objective To assess the growth using anthropometric measurements and determine the prevalence of obesity, short stature, and hypertension among primary school children. Background Healthy growth for children is of great importance in the development of their physical and mental growth. Growth is influenced by many factors that act to modify a child's genetic growth. Patients and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1050 children aged 6 to less than 12 years, including 515 (49%) boys and 535 (51%) girls, who were recruited from primary schools in Zefta city, Gharbeya Governorate. All children were assessed for anthropometric measurements such as weight (kg), height (cm), BMI (kg/m2), and arm span (cm). Moreover, blood pressure (BP) was measurement. Results The mean age was 8.50 + 1.70 years. The overall anthropometric values for boys were as follows: mean height was 134.55 ± 11.75 cm, mean weight was 32.38 ± 9.24 kg, and mean BMI was 17.47 ± 2.68 kg/m2. The corresponding measurements for girls were 133.55 ± 12.38 cm for height, 32.68 ± 10.73 kg for weight, and 17.84 ± 3.096 kg/m2 for BMI. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in boys were 4.9 and 6.8% and in girls were 11.2 and 7.5%, respectively. Mean BP for male children was 102.53 and 61.59 mmHg for systolic BP and diastolic BP, respectively, and for girls was 102.42 and 61.48 mmHg for systolic BP and diastolic BP, respectively. Prevalence of prehypertension in boys was 7.7% and in girls was 11.2%. No cases of short stature were seen. Conclusion Most children have normal growth patterns. Obesity was positively associated with higher BP.

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