Abstract
BACKGROUND: Indicators of child height, such as mean height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ), height-for-age difference (HAD) and stunting prevalence, do not account for differences in population-average bone developmental stage.
AIM: Propose a measure of child height that conveys the dependency of linear growth on stage rather than chronological age.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Using Demographic and Health Surveys (2000-2018; 64 countries), we generated: (1) predicted HAZ at specific ages (HAZ regressed on age); (2) height-age (age at which mean height matches the WHO Growth Standards median); (3) Growth delay (GD), the difference between chronological age and height-age; (4) HAD; and (5) stunting prevalence. Metrics were compared based on secular trends within countries and age-related trajectories within surveys.
RESULTS: In the most recent surveys ( N = 64), GDs ranged from 1.9 to 19.1 months at 60 months chronological age. Cross-sectionally, HAZ, HAD and GD were perfectly correlated, and showed similar secular trends. However, age-related trajectories differed across metrics. Accumulating GD with age demonstrated growth faltering as slower than expected growth for children of the same height-age. Resumption of growth at the median for height-age was rarely observed.
CONCLUSION: GD is a population-level measure of child health that reflects the role of delayed skeletal development in linear growth faltering.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 100-108 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Annals of Human Biology |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 18 Jul 2022 |
Bibliographical note
© 2022 The Author(s)Keywords
- Body Height
- Child
- Family
- Growth Disorders/epidemiology
- Humans
- Infant
- Population Health
- Surveys and Questionnaires