Trends in the nutritional status of Saudi children.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the trend in the nutritional status of Saudi children over a 10-year period.


METHODS
The growth data collected between 1993--1994 were compared with those collected between 2004--2005 from all regions of the Kingdom. Both nutritional surveys had a similar design leading to representative samples of Saudi children determined by multistage probability sampling. Similar methodology of measurements of the weight and height were used. The data from the 1994 study, including the third, fifth, fiftieth, ninety-fifth, and the ninety-seventh percentiles, were plotted on the 2005 charts for the weight for age, height for age, weight for height.


RESULTS
Compared to the 1994 results, the data of the 2005 study indicate an upward shift of the lower percentiles of the weight for age, and the weight for height, more than height for age, indicating improved nutritional status. However, the upward shift of the higher percentiles for the weight for age, and weight for height in the 2005 survey, indicate increased trend for overweight and obesity.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a demonstrable improvement in the nutritional status of Saudi children, and also tendency toward overweight and obesity over the last decade.
El-Mouzan
Mohammad I
MI
Department of Pediatrics, King Saud University, PO Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. drmouzan@gmail.com
Al-Herbish
Abdullah
A
Al-Salloum
Abdullah A
AA
Al-Omar
Ahmad A
AA
Qurachi
Mansour M
MM
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012529:Saudi Arabia