School of Community and Environmental Health, College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
Food and Nutrition Administration, Ministry of Health, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Med Princ Pract. 2021;30(6):515-521. doi: 10.1159/000518533. Epub 2021 Jul 19.
This study aimed to investigate the sex- and age-specific trends of stunting and combined overweight with stunting among schoolchildren over a 13-year period in Kuwait.
The Kuwait Nutrition Surveillance System objectively measured the height of 172,573 schoolchildren (5-19 years) over a 13-year period (2007-2019). Data on gender and date of birth were extracted from school records. Stunting was defined as height 2 standard deviations (SD) below the World Health Organization growth reference median. Logistic regression models were used to examine the trends of stunting over the study period while stratifying by gender.
In males, the prevalence of stunting increased from 2.46% in 2007 to 4.18% in 2019 (p for trend <0.001). In females, the prevalence of stunting fluctuated but remained around 3.80% in both 2007 and 2019. The odds of stunting significantly increased in the period 2017-2019 compared to the period 2007-2010 among males, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.04 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14-1.76); p = 0.009, but not females, AOR 0.89 (95% CI: 0.73-1.07); p = 0.176. Although not statistically significant, there was a tendency for the odds of combined overweight with stunting to increase in males, AOR 1.65 (95% CI: 0.90-3.04); p = 0.087, but not females, AOR 1.13 (95% CI: 0.88-1.45); p = 0.248.
Although the prevalence of stunting and combined stunting with overweight is low, there is an emerging upward trend in schoolboys that warrants further investigation and monitoring. This highlights the need for gender-specific interventions to reduce nutritional abnormalities in high-income countries in the Middle East countries like Kuwait.
本研究旨在调查 13 年间科威特学龄儿童中性别和年龄特异性的发育迟缓及消瘦合并超重趋势。
科威特营养监测系统客观测量了 172573 名学龄儿童（5-19 岁）的身高，测量时间跨度为 13 年（2007-2019 年）。从学校记录中提取性别和出生日期的数据。身高低于世界卫生组织生长参考中位数 2 个标准差定义为发育迟缓。使用逻辑回归模型，按性别分层，分析研究期间发育迟缓的趋势。
在男性中，发育迟缓的患病率从 2007 年的 2.46%上升到 2019 年的 4.18%（趋势 P<0.001）。在女性中，发育迟缓的患病率波动，但在 2007 年和 2019 年均保持在 3.80%左右。与 2007-2010 年相比，2017-2019 年男性发育迟缓的几率显著增加，调整后的比值比（AOR）为 1.04（95%置信区间[CI]：1.14-1.76）；P=0.009，但女性则无显著变化，AOR 为 0.89（95%CI：0.73-1.07）；P=0.176。尽管没有统计学意义，但男性消瘦合并超重的几率有增加的趋势，AOR 为 1.65（95%CI：0.90-3.04）；P=0.087，女性则无显著变化，AOR 为 1.13（95%CI：0.88-1.45）；P=0.248。
尽管发育迟缓及消瘦合并超重的患病率较低，但男童的患病率呈上升趋势，这需要进一步调查和监测。这凸显了在科威特等中东高收入国家需要采取性别特异性干预措施，以减少营养异常。
