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SHORT REPORT: Suitability of revised UK reference data for the assessment of nutritional status in 7‐year‐old children
Author(s) -
Reilly J.J.,
Savage S.A.H.,
Ruxton C.H.S.,
Kirk T.R.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of human nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1365-277X
pISSN - 0952-3871
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-277x.1999.00204.x
Subject(s) - medicine , anthropometry , reference values , body mass index , demography , body height , standard score , standard deviation , body weight , epidemiology , pediatrics , statistics , mathematics , sociology
Summary Introduction : Nutritional assessment in clinical practice and epidemiology requires comparison of anthropometric measurements with appropriate reference data, but the reference data recommended for the UK are largely untested. The aim of the present study was to test the suitability of the ‘Revised UK 1990’ reference data for height, weight and body mass index (BMI) in a representative sample of 7‐year‐old children. Methods : Measurements made in 255 children in Edinburgh ( n =123 girls; 132 boys) were compared with the ‘Revised UK 1990’ reference data using standard deviation (SD) scores. The proportion of children both expected and observed to fall below the 10th centile and above the 90th centile were calculated. Results : In boys, mean (±SD) scores were not significantly different from zero for height (−0.02±0.95), weight (0.07±1.01) and BMI (0.10±1.03), and there was good agreement between expected and observed frequencies <10th and >90th centiles for all three variables. In the girls, mean (±SD) scores did not differ significantly from zero: height (−0.08±0.91); weight (−0.18±0.98); BMI (−0.18±1.02), and there were no significant differences relative to the 10th and 90th centile cut‐offs for height and BMI. Conclusion : This study supports the use of the currently recommended height, weight and BMI reference data to define under‐ and over‐weight for height in children.