Growth of Pakistani children in relation to the 1990 growth standards
- aCity Hospital, Birmingham, bBirmingham Children’s Hospital, cRoyal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham
- Dr N J Shaw, Department of Growth and Endocrinology, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Ladywood Middleway, Birmingham B16 8ET.
- Accepted 13 June 1997
Abstract
This study was designed to compare the growth of Pakistani schoolchildren in the UK with the 1990 UK growth standards. Measurements of height, weight, and sitting height were performed on 785 Pakistani schoolchildren aged 5–14 years with the mean values for each age and sex being plotted on the UK growth standards. The results were expressed as SD scores relative to the 1990 reference data.
The mean height for the boys was only 0.2 SD scores below the mean for the new growth standards with the mean height for the girls being 0.4 SD scores below the mean. The mean values for weight and body mass index were 0.3 and 0.5 SD scores less than the mean for boys and girls respectively.
This study demonstrates that the growth of Pakistani schoolchildren in the UK is comparable to the 1990 UK growth standards with only minor differences. It is not safe to assume that short stature or low body weight in a Pakistani child is due to his or her ethnic background.
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Growth of Pakistani children in the UK is comparable to the 1990 UK standards
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A significant secular trend in growth in this group must have occurred
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Short stature in an Asian child may not be due to ethnic origin
