Underweight - a nutritional risk?

Weight-for-age (Harvard standards) and mean weight and height studies on South African preschool and school-child populations have revealed that (i) 25% of preschool children, and 50-75% of young non-White school-children are underweight for age; (ii) the incidence of underweight-for-age rose from birth to 12 years, and fell rapidly by 17 years, without dietary intervention; (iii) White children showed similar profiles of underweight although the respective incidences were lower; (iv) there has been a fall in the incidence of underweight in Black children although it still remains high; and (v) significant increases of mean weights and heights have occurred at certain ages in Blacks, particularly rural groups, with decreases in height in some groups of White preschool children. In spite of there having been no dietary intervention, the incidence of underweight-for-age has decreased, and the mean weight and height have increased over a very short period of time. Height as well as weight shoudl be taken into consideration in assessing satisfactory growth.