Trends in the nutritional status of Saudi children.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the trend in the nutritional status of Saudi children over a 10-year period. METHODS The growth data collected between 1993--1994 were compared with those collected between 2004--2005 from all regions of the Kingdom. Both nutritional surveys had a similar design leading to representative samples of Saudi children determined by multistage probability sampling. Similar methodology of measurements of the weight and height were used. The data from the 1994 study, including the third, fifth, fiftieth, ninety-fifth, and the ninety-seventh percentiles, were plotted on the 2005 charts for the weight for age, height for age, weight for height. RESULTS Compared to the 1994 results, the data of the 2005 study indicate an upward shift of the lower percentiles of the weight for age, and the weight for height, more than height for age, indicating improved nutritional status. However, the upward shift of the higher percentiles for the weight for age, and weight for height in the 2005 survey, indicate increased trend for overweight and obesity. CONCLUSION There is a demonstrable improvement in the nutritional status of Saudi children, and also tendency toward overweight and obesity over the last decade.