White E, Wilson A, Greene S A, Berry W, McCowan C, Cairns A, Ricketts I
Department of Child Health, University Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.
J Med Screen. 1995;2(3):140-4. doi: 10.1177/096914139500200308.
To assess the effect of urban deprivation on childhood growth in a modern British society by analysing data from a regional growth survey, the Tayside growth study.
The Tayside Region in Scotland, which has three districts with distinct socioeconomic status: Dundee (D, urban city), Angus (A, rural), and Perth (P, rural and county town).
Height and weight of 23,046 children (> 90% of the regional childhood population) were measured as part of a child health surveillance programme, by community health care workers at 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 14 years. Height standard deviation score (calculated against Tanner) and body mass index (BMI-weight (kg)/height (m)2) were calculated for each child by a central computer program; mean height standard deviation score and BMI standard deviation score were calculated for each measuring centre (school, health clinic). A deprivation score for each centre was calculated from the prevalence of single parent families; families with more than three children; unemployment rate; the number of social class V individuals; the percentage of council houses.
Mean height standard deviation score for Tayside was 0.11. An intraregional difference was demonstrated: mean height standard deviation score (SD) D = 0.04 (1.0); A = 0.14 (1.1); P = 0.21 (1.1); P < 0.002. There was a positive association between short stature and increasing social deprivation seen throughout Tayside (P < 0.05), with a strong association in Dundee primary school children (r = 0.6; P < 0.001). Analysis by district showed that the association was significant only above the age of 8 (P < 0.004). There was no relation between BMI and social deprivation.
In an industrialised developed society, urban deprivation appears to influence height mostly in late childhood, and this association should be taken into consideration in the clinical management of short stature. Height seems to be a better physical indicator of urban deprivation, and hence an index of childhood health, than BMI.
通过分析一项区域生长调查——泰赛德生长研究的数据，评估城市贫困对现代英国社会儿童生长发育的影响。
苏格兰的泰赛德地区，有三个社会经济地位不同的行政区：邓迪（D，城市）、安格斯（A，农村）和珀斯（P，农村及县城）。
作为儿童健康监测项目的一部分，社区医护人员在儿童3、5、7、9、11和14岁时测量了23046名儿童（超过该地区儿童人口的90%）的身高和体重。由中央计算机程序为每个儿童计算身高标准差评分（根据坦纳标准计算）和体重指数（BMI，体重（千克）/身高（米）²）；为每个测量中心（学校、健康诊所）计算平均身高标准差评分和BMI标准差评分。根据单亲家庭患病率、子女数超过三个的家庭、失业率、社会阶层V个体数量、市政公房比例计算每个中心的贫困评分。
泰赛德地区的平均身高标准差评分为0.11。区域内差异明显：平均身高标准差评分（SD）邓迪 = 0.04（1.0）；安格斯 = 0.14（1.1）；珀斯 = 0.21（1.1）；P < 0.002。在整个泰赛德地区，身材矮小与社会贫困加剧之间存在正相关（P < 0.05），在邓迪的小学生中相关性很强（r = 0.6；P < 0.001）。按行政区分析表明，这种相关性仅在8岁以上显著（P < 0.004）。BMI与社会贫困之间没有关系。
在工业化发达社会，城市贫困似乎主要在儿童后期影响身高，在身材矮小的临床管理中应考虑这种关联。身高似乎比BMI更能作为城市贫困的身体指标，因此也是儿童健康的一个指标。
