La baja estatura de los hijos: ¿se relaciona con la de sus padres?: estudio epidemiológico interclase social / Is there a relationship between the short stature of parents and their chldren?

ABSTRACT

One thousand, eight hundred and forty two children of low socioeconomic level and 2,770 children of high socioeconomic level were initially measured. Those with a z score for height below -1 were selected (251 of low socioeconomic level and 157 of high socioeconomic level) and the height of their parents was measured. Results: Mothers and fathers of low socioeconomic level were 6.1 and 7.4 cm shorter than their counterparts of high socioeconomic level. The z score for height of low socioeconomic level children was significantly better than that of their parents and the relative risk for stunting was 2 when one of the parents had a short stature. Among children of high socioeconomic level, the relative risk of stunting was 4.8 and 11, when the mother or the father had a short stature, respectively. Conclusions: The better height adequacy of low socioeconomic level children, compared to their parents, suggests that the new generations are growing better thant their ancestors. Among children of high socioeconomic level, whose growth potential is fully expressed, the parents height is a good predictor of stunting