Standard di crescita per la valutazione dello stato di salute della popolazione sarda

The assessment of growth is an important part of paediatrics and community child health. Among anthropometric measurements the height is measured in order to diagnose abnormal height growth rates and to monitor the results of any treatment for such conditions. Weight is another important growth parameter, which provides information about the individual’s nutritional status. The Body Mass Index (BMI = kg/m2) is used to identify cases of overweight or underweight and to monitor nutritional status. On regard cephalometric measures there exist few standards for circumference, length and breadth of head from childhood to adulthood in populations of European extraction. Moreover, the international standards are based on samples that cannot be appropriately used as references for all populations since they were taken from different ethnic groups and from different periods. The aims of this study were: (1) to test whether international or national standards can be used to assess the Sardinian population; and (2) to produce growth charts for stature, weight, BMI, head circumference, length and breadth for Sardinian males and females from 3 to 22 years of age. The cross sectional sample consisted of 9,721 subjects of Sardinian origin (4,884 males and 4,837 females), aged 3–22 years, measured from 1998 to 2008. Growth percentiles were produced with the LMS method. The results show that the international or even national standards are not appropriate for the assessment of Sardinian children. For the Sardinian population, specific regional growth charts should be used to correctly evaluate the normal range and the cut-off points of the extreme percentiles.