Physical growth and development of South African rural black children

Abstract

Growth rates of children are sensitive indicators of their health and well being. In developed countries, longitudinal growth studies have allowed the development of growth rates and growth charts used to monitor the normality or otherwise of a child's growth and development. They have only been recently undertaken in the AfrIcan countries. We initiated a mixed-longitudinal study at Vaalwater, Limpopo Province, and at Ubombo, Kwa- Zulu Natal province. We involved 7-18 year old subjects attending rural schools and they were compared with the National Centre of Health Statistics, World Health Organizations Reference (2007) charts, Frisancho’s (1981) MUAC centiles, and Cole et al. (2007) BMI cut-off points for thinness. Measurements were taken using standard anthropometric methods and tools as recommended by the WHO. Local, rural, distance reference charts for healthy schoolgoing children of height, weight, sitting height, biacromial diameter, biiliac diameter, relaxed upper arm circumference, head circumference and skinfolds from the triceps, biceps, suprailiac and sub-scapular sites, particularly for the 7-18 year olds, were constructed and smoothed by polynomials. WHO reference (2007) showed: Weight-for-age: Vaalwater girls were severely underweight(1.9%(0.6%, 5.7%)95%CI) with mean(-0.89) and SD(1.09) and boys severely underweight(33.3%(1.1%, 9.2%)95%CI) with mean(-1.1) and SD(0.98). Ubombo girls(1.5%(0.2%,10%)95%CI) severely underweight with mean(-0.38) and SD(1.05) and boys(1.4%(0.2%,9.7%)95%CI) with mean(-0.66) and SD(1.02). Height-for-age: Vaalwater girls were severely stunted(5%(2.7%,8.9%)95%CI) mean(-0.91) and SD(1.2) and boys(3.3%(1.7%,6.6%)95%CI) severely stunted with mean(-1.21) SD(1.07), Ubombo girls were(2.2%(1.2%, 4.1%)95%CI) severely stunted mean(-0.66) and SD(1.11), and UB boys were(3.3%(1.9%,5.9%)95%CI) severely stunted mean(-1.08) and SD(1.11). iii BMI-for-age: Vaalwater children were severely wasted(3%(1.8%,5.2%)95%CI) with mean(-1.44) and SD(0.93) and (2%(0%,0.7%)95%CI) of all the UB girls were obese. BMI indicate that these children are severely thin particularly VAL boys. MUAC results indicate that both UB and VAL children are severely undernourished at almost all ages. Peak Height Velocities for Vaalwater and Ubombo girls were 6.02 cm/yr and 10.73 cm/yr at 14.5 and 13.5 years respectively and 6.35 cm/yr and 5.97 cm/yr at 13.5 years and 15 years for Vaalwater and Ubombo boys respectively. Vaalwater and Ubombo children are at severe risk of undernutrition and at risk of premature death.