A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF HUMAN GROWTH STUDIES IN IRAN

Studies of human growth throughout Iran since 1966 have been surveyed critically. Only 32 papers and 15 research reports on this very crucial issue have been published or compiled so far, most of them on Tehran and Shiraz, which is negligible in comparison with American or European and even some African and Asian studies. Though measurements of height and weight naturally predominate, arm circumference, head circumference and skinfold thickness are also extensively documented. People are now heavier and taller than reported previously. Children in well-off homes everywhere grow faster than those in poor homes and urban children grow faster than rural children. The necessity for using local standards covering all age groups for clinical work in Iran is emphasised and a longitudinal growth study is suggested. A study of the pattern of growth and its related complex factors would serve as an invaluable asset in planning and (evaluation of community health service and health promotion. The paper also provides a comprehensive bibliography of growth studies in Iran which would be helpful to the interested researchers in this field.