Establishing Localized Growth Velocity Standards for Children: A Study from Isfahan

Abstract

Background:Monitoring children's growth is crucial for assessing health status and detecting growth failure. This study aims to establish local growth velocity standards for children in Isfahan from birth to 3 years, based on weight, length, and head circumference measurements from 2006 to 2016.Materials and Methods:We conducted a longitudinal cohort study involving 616 healthy children (300 males and 316 females) born in Isfahan, tracked from birth until 3 years of age. Growth measurements were taken at birth and 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36 months. We employed the Lambda-Mu-Sigma (LMS) method to generate percentiles of growth velocity.Results:This study successfully established localized growth velocity percentile charts for weight, length, and head circumference in children aged 0 to 3 years in Isfahan. Growth velocity percentiles (5th, 50th, and 95th) were generated using the LMS method based on longitudinal measurements from 616 children. Comparative analysis revealed significant regional differences, particularly among girls, with Isfahan children showing distinct growth velocity patterns compared to those in Shiraz and West Azerbaijan. Boys exhibited more consistent growth velocities across regions. These findings highlight important local variations in growth velocity, underscoring the need for region-specific growth standards in Isfahan.Conclusions:This study provides the first local growth velocity standards for children in Isfahan. Our findings underscore the necessity for regular updates to these standards to reflect changes in health and nutrition. Future studies should include a more comprehensive sampling approach to enhance the representativeness of the results.