EARLY CHILD HEALTH IN LAHORE, PAKISTAN .11. GROWTH

This work gives growth reference values at birth to 24 months of age f or Pakistan based on upper middle class infants. Growth rate reference values are also included and they are given for various interval leng ths. The growth was differently affected in infants living in three po orer areas; the stunting incidence at 24 months of age was 63% in peri urban slum, 54% in the village and 26% in the urban slum. Less differe nces could be seen between the areas in weight for length. There was a n age dependency in the incidence of reduced growth; a normal length g ain was seen at birth to about six months of age, but they were highly reduced at 6 to 18 months of age. The weight gain was to some degree reduced during the first 12 months of life, followed by a catch-up gro wth period. The seasonal influence was also age dependent; weight was highly affected during the summer at birth to 24 months of age, but no t in the winter. The seasonal effect in length was marginal at birth t o 6 months, little at 6 to 12 months (although, constant below the nor mal) and large at 12 to 24 months of age. We did not see any seasonali ty of growth in the reference group. The incidence of reduced growth r eflects the socio- economic differences in one restricted geographic a rea, i.e. in the city of Lahore, Pakistan.