AUTHOR=El Shafie Ali M. , El-Gendy Fady M. , Allahony Dalia M. , Omar Zein A. , Samir Mohamed A. , El-Bazzar Ahmed N. , Abd El-Fattah Mohamed A. , Abdel Monsef Amir A. , Kairallah Amir M. , Raafet Hythem M. , Baza Ghada M. , Salah Amany G. , Galab Walaa S. , Kasemy Zeinab A. , Bahbah Wael A.
TITLE=Establishment of Z Score Reference of Growth Parameters for Egyptian School Children and Adolescents Aged From 5 to 19 Years: A Cross Sectional Study
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pediatrics
VOLUME=8
YEAR=2020
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2020.00368
DOI=10.3389/fped.2020.00368
ISSN=2296-2360
ABSTRACT=Background: Growth charts are an important method for evaluating a child's health, growth, and nutritional status.
Objective: To establish Lambda—Mu- Sigma (LMS) and Z score references for assessment of growth and nutritional status in Egyptian school children and adolescents.
Methods: A total of 34,822 Egyptian school children and adolescents from 5 to 19 years were enrolled in a cross sectional randomized study from December 2017 to November 2019 to create LMS and Z score references for weight, height and body mass index (BMI) corresponding to ages. They were selected from different districts in Egypt. Apparent Healthy children with good nutritional history and not suffering from any chronic diseases were included in the study.
Results: Egyptian children of both sexes (54.3% boys and 45.7 % girls) from 5 to 19 years old were studied. Then LMS and Z scores for weight for age, height for age, BMI for age of both sexes were represented in detailed tables and graphs. There was no statistically significant difference between the Egyptian Z score charts and the reference values of WHO for weight, height and BMI corresponding to age (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: This is the first national reference for growth and nutritional assessment using LMS and Z score charts in Egyptian school children and adolescents, this tool is essential for healthcare and research.