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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1417284

Establishing Age and GenderSex-Specific Anthropometric Growth References Standards for South Punjab Adolescents utilizing through the LMS Method: Findings from the Pakistani Population

Provisionally accepted
Liu Long Liu Long 1Syed Danish Hamdani Syed Danish Hamdani 2,3*Syed Muhammad Zeeshan Haider Hamdani Syed Muhammad Zeeshan Haider Hamdani 4,5*Jie Zhuang Jie Zhuang 4Haris Khurram Haris Khurram 6,7Syed Ghufran Hadier Syed Ghufran Hadier 5,8
  • 1 School of Physical Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
  • 2 School of Sports and Human Sciences, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
  • 3 School Education Department, Punjab, Kasur, Pakistan
  • 4 School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
  • 5 Department of Sports Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
  • 6 Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Pattani Campus, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani, Thailand
  • 7 Department of Sciences and Humanities, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • 8 School of Physical Education, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The physical health of adolescents is crucial for a nation's prosperity and sustainable development. Developing specific growth standards is essential for prioritizing the well-being of Pakistan's youth. This study aims to establish normative standards for height, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI) among 12-to 16-year-olds in South Punjab, facilitating accurate health assessments and tailored interventions.This study utilized a cross-sectional design and stratified random sampling to select 2,970 adolescents (49.73% boys and 50.26% girls) aged 12 to 16 years from South Punjab, Pakistan.Anthropometric measurements, including height, weight, and BMI, were collected. Data were stratified by age and gendersex, and smoothed percentile curves were computed using the LMS method, which incorporates the L (γ-lambda), M (µ-mu), and S (δ-sigma) parameters. Results were compared with international references to provide a comprehensive analysis.The results highlight sex-specific trends in anthropometric indicators among adolescents.Males exhibited higher mean values in height (160.50±11.50 cm), weight (45.02±9.78 kg), and BMI (17.30±2.41) compared to females (158.57±9.34 cm, 41.00±7.89 kg, and 16.29±2.82, respectively).Growth patterns indicate boys grow faster in height and weight between ages 12-14, while girls show slower annual increases. Comparative analysis with international standards reveals that boys' height and weight were generally lower than international medians (P50th), whereas girls' height was comparable or higher. BMI values for both gendersexess were lower than international norms, reflecting unique regional growth patterns.This research establishes updated age and sex-specific normative reference standards for adolescents in South Punjab, Pakistan. The study reveals that Pakistani adolescent boys exhibit higher mean values in height, weight, and BMI compared to girls, with faster growth rates between ages 12-14.Compared to international standards, Pakistani adolescents show lower BMI values, highlighting unique regional growth patterns. These standards have practical applications in screening, monitoring, and health strategy planning, contributing to efforts in promotingto promote a healthier future for the population.Future studies are recommended to utilize these local growth references for health surveillance and treatment in the local population.

    Keywords: Anthropometric growth, Normative References Standards, Health evaluation, Growth and Development, LMS method, Growth Charts, Pakistani adolescents

    Received: 14 Apr 2024; Accepted: 16 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Long, Hamdani, Hamdani, Zhuang, Khurram and Hadier. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Syed Danish Hamdani, School of Sports and Human Sciences, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
    Syed Muhammad Zeeshan Haider Hamdani, School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, 200438, China

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