Comparative study between growth curves adapted for Ecuadorians and WHO curves in Manabí children aged 7 to 10 years

Abstract

Objective: To compare the results of the application of the growth curves of the World Health Organization and those adapted for Ecuadorians, in children from 7 to 10 years of age in the province of Manabí. Methodology: Observational, analytical, cross-sectional study. The population is made up of Manabi children between 7 and 10 years old, a sample of 148 subjects. Inclusion criteria: 7 to 10 years old, Ecuadorian nationality, enrollment in an educational institution, informed consent by parents, attend during the measurement dates. Those who did not attend or resisted were excluded. The variables studied are age, sex, height and weight, BMI. The data were analyzed using the IBM – SPSS 25 statistical package. Cohen's Kappa index was used to compare the concordance between both instruments. Results: The WHO growth curves allowed us to categorize 87.2% of the subjects with normal height, 1.4% tall height, 11.5% short stature; 47.3% normal weight, 40.5% overweight, 8.8% obesity, 3.4% underweight; Regarding BMI, 42.6% normal weight, 29.1% overweight, 18.2% obesity and 10.1% underweight. While the curves adapted for the Ecuadorian population categorized 65.5% normal height, 34.5% tall height, without short stature subjects; 67.6% normal weight, 16.2% overweight, 16.2% obesity, without underweight subjects; Regarding BMI, 54.1% normal weight, 25% overweight, 12.8% obesity and 8.1% underweight. Conclusion: There is moderate concordance between the growth curves for subjects between 5 and 19 years of the WHO and those adapted for the Ecuadorian population by Monnier et al, with a predominance of the assessment of height and weight, and with better concordance for the body mass index.