Advanced search×

Pattern of sex differences in growth of Saudi children and adolescents

Mohammad I El Mouzan, Abdullah S Al Herbish, Abdullah A Al Salloum, Peter J Foster, Ahmad A Al Omar, Mansour M Qurachi, and Tatjana Kecojevic

Gend Med 7(1):8 (2010) PMID 20189154

Background: Although variations in growth between boys and girls have been reported, detailed descriptions according to age and growth parameters are not available. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine the pattern and magnitude of differences in growth between boys and girls according to age that justify separate growth charts. Methods: The data set was based on a cross-sectional representative sample of the Saudi population of healthy children and adolescents from birth to 19 years of age. Body measurements (length, height, weight, and head circumference) were performed according to standard recommendations; body mass index was also determined for each subject. The difference in growth between boys and girls was assessed based on z scores and percentiles (5th, 50th, and 95th) of growth parameters using 2 age groups (0-3 years and 2-19 years). The significance of the difference between boys and girls for any growth parameter was tested by ANCOVA. Results: A total of 35,279 children and adolescents from birth to 19 years of age satisfied the criteria for growth measurements. There were 17,880 boys and 17,399 girls; all were Saudi nationals. The Saudi boys were generally taller and heavier than girls up to ~7 to 10 years of age. Thereafter, girls generally were taller and heavier than boys from 10 to 14-15 years of age. After that, boys again were taller and heavier. Similar variations were observed for body mass index and head circumference. The difference between boys and girls for each growth parameter was highly significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on analysis of these Saudi children and adolescents, the difference in growth between boys and girls was not uniform but depended on age. However, the pattern was remarkably consistent across all growth parameters and appears to reflect the timing of maturation between boys and girls.

Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.genm.2010.02.001
Version: za2963e q8za1 q8zb9 q8zcd q8zd6 q8ze7 q8zf5 q8zg6

Similar articles you may find interesting…

  1. Regional disparity in prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi children.
    Mohammad I MI El-Mouzan, Abdullah S AS Al-Herbish, ... Tatjana T Kecojevic

    Saudi Med J 31(5):550-4 (2010) PMID 20464046

    The sample size of children <5 years of age in Central region was 5067, Southwestern 2285, and Northern 2933. The prevalence of underweight was 4%, 19.7% and 5.5%, that of wasting was 6.5%, 16.7% and 6.5% and of stunting was 6.4%, 13.2% and 6.4% in the Central, Southwestern, and Northern regions ind...
  2. Endoplasmic reticulum- and Golgi-localized phospholipase A2 plays critical roles in Arabidopsis pollen development and germination.
    H J Kim, S H Ok, ... J S Shin

    Plant Cell 23(1):94-110 (2011) PMID 21278126

    We characterized three of four Arabidopsis thaliana PLA(2) paralogs (PLA(2)-β, -γ, and -δ) and found that they (1) are expressed during pollen development, (2) localize to the endoplasmic reticulum and/or Golgi, and (3) play critical roles in pollen development and germination and tube growth. Th...
  3. Prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi children: a community-based study.
    Mohammad I MI El Mouzan, Peter J PJ Foster, ... Mansour M MM Qurachi

    Ann Saudi Med 30(5):381-5 (2010) PMID 20697172

    There is no published information on the prevalence of malnutrition in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study was to establish the prevalence data. The prevalence of nutritional indicators in the form of underweight, stunting, and wasting in a national sample of children younger than 5 years of a...
    View PDF