Comparative characteristics of physical developmental indices in children from the Voronezh Region in 1997–1999 and 2011–2014

Objective: to provide the comparative characteristics of changes in the height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) of children from the Voronezh Region in 1997–1999 and 2011–2014 on the basis of the WHO standards in order to assess trends in the physical development of a pediatric population.Methods. The data of medical examinations made in healthy children aged 1–15 years in 1997–1999 (Group 1) and 2011–2014 (Group 2) were used. The Z-scores for height-for-age, weight-for-age, and BMI-for-age were calculated using the software WHO AnthroPlus.Results. Groups 1 and 2 included 10,247 and 4,940 children, respectively (mean age, 7.5±3.8 and 8.0±4.0 years). The mean Z-scores for height-for-age in Group 2 (0.24±1.02) were higher than those in Group 1 (0.14±1.9) and more in line with the WHO standard distribution (р<0.0001). Those for weight-for-age in Group 2 (0.41±0.98) were higher than in Group 1 (0.22±1.10) and more different from the WHO values (p<0.0001). The BMI values in today’s children were close to the WHO standards (0.27±1.31 and 0.18±1.02 in Groups 1 and 2, respectively). The height, weight, and BMI were higher in the boys in Group 2 than in the girls (p<0.05).Conclusion. Regular studies of physical development indices can reveal changes and evaluate the impact of various factors in order to develop measures for improving the health status of children