Bose Kaushik, Bisai Samiran, Chakraborty Jayanta, Datta Nandini, Banerjee Parsati
Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore-721 102, West Bengal, India.
Coll Antropol. 2008 Mar;32(1):73-7.
A cross-sectional study on 1206 children (788 boys, 618 girls) aged 1-12 years, belonging to low socioeconomic status, of Barasat and Madhyamgram, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to investigate age and sex variations in height and weight. It also evaluated the levels of underweight and stunting among them. Anthropometric measurements included weight and height. Weight-for-age (WA) and height-for-age (HA) <-2 z-scores were used to evaluate underweight (UW) and stunting (ST), respectively, following the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Guidelines. Results showed that boys aged 4 and 11 years were significantly heavier than girls of corresponding ages. Boys aged 7 years were significantly taller than girls of the same age. Significant (p < 0.001) age differences existed in mean weight and height in boys (weight: F = 336.762; height: F = 565.160) as well as girls (weight: F = 275.320; height = 498.715). Results also revealed that the mean z-scores of WA (WAZ) and HA (HAZ) were less than (negative values) those of NCHS for both sexes at all ages. The overall (age combined) rate of UW was 60.4% and 51.3%; while that of ST was 51.7% and 48.4%, in boys and girls, respectively. Based on World Health Organization classification of severity of malnutrition, the prevalence of UW and ST were very high (> or = 30%) in both sexes. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the prevalence of UW and ST were very high among the subjects. Since the nutritional status of the subjects is not satisfactory, there is need for immediate supplementary nutrition.
对印度西孟加拉邦巴拉索尔和马德亚姆格拉姆1206名1至12岁、社会经济地位低下的儿童（788名男孩，618名女孩）进行了一项横断面研究，以调查身高和体重的年龄及性别差异。该研究还评估了他们的体重不足和发育迟缓水平。人体测量指标包括体重和身高。按照美国国家卫生统计中心（NCHS）指南，年龄别体重（WA）和年龄别身高（HA）<-2 z评分分别用于评估体重不足（UW）和发育迟缓（ST）。结果显示，4岁和11岁的男孩比相应年龄的女孩体重明显更重。7岁的男孩比同龄女孩明显更高。男孩（体重：F = 336.762；身高：F = 565.160）和女孩（体重：F = 275.320；身高 = 498.715）的平均体重和身高存在显著（p < 0.001）年龄差异。结果还显示，所有年龄段男女的WA（WAZ）和HA（HAZ）平均z评分均低于（负值）NCHS的水平。男孩和女孩的总体（合并年龄）UW率分别为60.4%和51.3%；而ST率分别为51.7%和48.4%。根据世界卫生组织对营养不良严重程度的分类，男女的UW和ST患病率都非常高（≥30%）。总之，本研究表明，研究对象中UW和ST的患病率非常高。由于研究对象的营养状况不令人满意，因此需要立即补充营养。
