A Survey of The Growth Curve, Mean Height and Weight in Children Younger than 3 Years Old in Sanandaj

There is a general aggrement about considering growth curve as a great tool to reach world wide health. The importance of growth curve for health will become more clear when we consider the fact that growth impairment in the first years of the life will affect the growth of person through the rest. This study was cross sectional and was done in 1992 in sanandaj health care centers. Data regarding weight, height and head circumference of 2090 children (1051 male and 1039 female) younger than three years old was registered in check list and analyzed using SPSS win software. At the date of birth mean weight, height and head circumference in males and females was 3.3 kg vs 3.2 kg, 49.3 cm vs 48.4 cm and 34.8cm vs 34.5cm respectively. In two years old children the mean increase in head circumference, weight and height was 2.6 cm, 2.5 kg vs 2.1 kg and 10 cm vs 9.8 cm respectively. In three years old boys and girls mean increase in weight and hight was 1.9 kg vs 2.4 kg and 9.9 vs 10.2 cm respectively. Even though the changes in height and weight of children younger than 3 years old was not match exactly with the standard international growth curve (NCHS), the similarity was great enough to use the standard curve for evaluating growth of children in the absence a regional curve.