Height-for-age z scores increase despite increasing height deficits among children in 5 developing countries

Elizabeth A. Lundeen, Aryeh D. Stein, Linda S. Adair, Jere R. Behrman, Santosh K. Bhargava, Kirk A. Dearden, Denise Gigante, Shane A. Norris, Linda M. Richter, Caroline H D Fall, Reynaldo Martorell, Harshpal Singh Sachdev, Cesar G. Victora

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Growth failure remains a persistent challenge in many countries, and understanding child growth patterns is critical to the development of appropriate interventions and their evaluation. The interpretation of changes in mean height-for-age z scores (HAZs) over time to define catch-up growth has been a subject of debate. Most studies of child growth have been cross-sectional or have focused on children through age 5 y. Objective: The aim was to characterize patterns of linear growth among individuals followed from birth into adulthood. Design: We compared HAZs and difference in height (cm) from the WHO reference median at birth, 12 mo, 24 mo, mid-childhood, and adulthood for 5287 individuals from birth cohorts in Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa. Results: Mean HAZs were

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)821-825
Number of pages5
JournalAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume100
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2014
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • Nutrition and Dietetics

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