Physical growth of schoolchildren from the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil: Comparison with the CDC-2000 reference using the LMS method

• Autor(a) principal: Guedes, Dartagnam Pinto
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Outros Autores: Matos, José Arlen Beltrão, Lopes, Vitor P., Ferreirinha, José Eduardo, Silva, A.J.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/4021
• topic: Anthropometry; Body mass; Stature; Child; Adolescent

Objective: To analyse the physical growth of a representative school population sample from the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in comparison with the reference proposed by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-2000). Methods: The sample was composed of 5100 individuals (2730 girls and 2370 boys), aged 6-18 years. Body weight-for-age and height-for-age percentiles were obtained using the LMS method. Statistical and graphical comparisons were made with the corresponding percentiles of the CDC-2000 reference, estimated using the same method. Results: Overall, the calculated values of the L (asymmetry) and the S (variability) parameters were quite similar to the CDC-2000 reference values. However, M(median) was substantially different from the reference used in the study, mainly in schoolchildren over 12-13 years of age of both genders. The magnitude of the deficits of height-for-age and body weight-for-age observed in the schoolchildren from the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil, varied from 4 to 6 cm and from 3 to 6 kg, respectively. Conclusion: The body weight-for-age and height-for-age percentiles of schoolchildren population in the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil differed substantially from those referenced.