Determinants of short stature in normal children at the age of two years: a case-control study in a community in Jerusalem

Attained growth of privileged Saudi children during the first three years of life

The attained growth was assessed in privileged Saudi children 0-36 months of age. Birth weights were measured on all children but subsequent measurements were cross-sectional. The mean (SD) birth weight of boys, 3362 (445) g, and that of girls 3186 (490) g, did not differ significantly from the means of the NCHS reference. Individual data on weight, height, weight for height and head circumference of older children were standardized according to Western standards. When the material was stratified according to age groups, the differencies were trivial between the standardized means of attained weight, height and weight for height of Saudi children and those of the NCHS reference. Similarly, the standardized mean head circumference was nearly identical with that of the standard of Westrup and Barber. Except for weight for height, the differencies in the distribution of SD scores were trivial compared with the standards. The data indicated that Saudi children have the genetic potential to grow according to Western standards, and that poor growth found in other groups of Saudi children are likely to be caused by environmental rather than by ethnic factors.

Comparison of head circumference in an Israeli child population with United States and British standards

The head circumference (HC) growth pattern of infants from 1 to 24 months of age was studied in a Jerusalem community. The means of HC of the study population are smaller for each age and sex group than those of the National Center of Health Statistics, USA reference population, London children and the Nellhaus standard. The regression of HC on length explains about 20% of the variance. In an analysis of variance controlling for social class, birth order and length, the differences by region of origin of the mother were not significant. The smaller HC of the study population is probably due to these children being shorter and lighter than the above-mentioned western populations. Malnutrition as a factor for small HC was excluded.