Determining the Z Scores of Children Covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and Comparing it with the WHO and CDC Standards

The World Health Organization has introduced two sets of child growth standards for growth assessment. These reference values may not be suitable for use in other populations. Therefore, this study aimed to determine specific Z scores in the population covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on data obtained from the evaluation of height, weight, and head circumference of children aged from 0 to 18 months visiting the healthcare centers of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from March 2018 to March 2021. A total data of 128,472 children were extracted from the Electronic Health Records (SinaEHR®) and included in the study. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using Minitab and SPSS software (version 16).  

The L, M, and S parameters were used to calculate Z scores for weight, height, and head circumference. These Z scores were then compared to standard deviation values ​for each age from our study and international standards to determine any differences. Our study found that mean weight scores were 0.16 kg higher than the CDC standard and 0.34 kg higher than the WHO growth standard.  

The provision of this exclusive reference to children's growth indicators not only allows for a more accurate evaluation but also provides the possibility of comparison with other populations using their specific growth charts. It seems that one of the best plans is to compare growth charts with international populations and national growth charts, which due to the electronization of the entire processes of the health system, is more possible than ever.