Attained growth of privileged Saudi children during the first three years of life.

The attained growth was assessed in privileged Saudi children 0-36 months of age. Birth weights were measured on all children but subsequent measurements were cross-sectional. The mean (SD) birth weight of boys, 3362 (445) g, and that of girls 3186 (490) g, did not differ significantly from the means of the NCHS reference. Individual data on weight, height, weight for height and head circumference of older children were standardized according to Western standards. When the material was stratified according to age groups, the differencies were trivial between the standardized means of attained weight, height and weight for height of Saudi children and those of the NCHS reference. Similarly, the standardized mean head circumference was nearly identical with that of the standard of Westrup and Barber. Except for weight for height, the differencies in the distribution of SD scores were trivial compared with the standards. The data indicated that Saudi children have the genetic potential to grow according to Western standards, and that poor growth found in other groups of Saudi children are likely to be caused by environmental rather than by ethnic factors.