Research Article Volume 2 • Issue 2 •1000113 Open Access Research Article Al-Agha et al., J Pat Care 2016, 2:2 DOI: 10.4172/2573-4598.1000113 J Pat Care, an open access journal ISSN: 2573-4598 *Corresponding author: Abdulmoein Eid Al-Agha, MBBS, DCH, CABP, FRCPCH Associate Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology, Department of Pediatric, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, P.O. Box 80215, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia, Tel: 966 2 6408353, E-mail: aagha@kau.edu.sa Received: January 15, 2016; Accepted: June 21, 2016; Published: June 28, 2016 Citation: Al-Agha AE, Al-Baradi WR, Al-Rahmani DA, Simbawa BM (2016) Associations between Various Nutritional Elements and Weight, Height and BMI in Children and Adolescents. J Pat Care 2: 113. doi: 10.4172/2573-4598.1000113 Copyright: © 2016 Al-Agha AE, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Keywords: Growth; Nutrition; Children; Diet Introduction Of children younger than 5 years old in 2013, it was estimated that 161.5 million were stunted, 50.8 million had low weight for height and 41.7 million were overweight or obese [1]. Terefore, the association between nutrition and growth in children is becoming important, particularly given the reported associations, both signifcant and non- signifcant, between specifc nutrients and weight, height, or body mass index (BMI). Te estimated average of daily requirements should be met in order to have sufcient growth of the child. Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy and play a key role in maintenance of body weight. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and beans should form the majority of carbohydrate intake, because these foods also provide the nutrients that support growth and development in children. Fruit and vegetable intake also helps to prevent weight gain and reduces the risk of obesity [2,3]. Furthermore, increasing overall carbohydrate intake might increase the risk of insulin resistance in children as they become obese [4]. Although dietary fat is essential, higher consumption is associated with multiple diseases. While height might not be afected by fat consumption, weight is defnitely afected. An adequate balance of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats should be considered while limiting saturated and trans fat products [5]. Protein is considered important for child growth. In particular, milk intake during childhood is crucial for growth and bone development, especially in girls [6]. Te World Health Organization recommended that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages should be reduced to <10% (equivalent to 50 g) of total intake [7] because of the limited nutritional value. However, because chocolate has a certain benefcial amount of protein, it is excluded from the sugar-related recommendations. Fast food is high in calories and low in nutritional value, increasing the risk of weight gain and serious diseases. Among adolescents, the consumption Associations between Various Nutritional Elements and Weight, Height and BMI in Children and Adolescents Abdulmoein Eid Al-Agha 1 *, Wed Rasheed Al-Baradi 1 , Dana Ayed Al-Rahmani 1 and Bhaa Maher Simbawa 2 1 Department of Pediatric, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2 Jeddah University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Abstract Purpose: This cross-sectional study included 653 children aged 2–18 years located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2015–2016). This study aimed to determine the association between dietary intake (daily, weekly and rarely) and anthropometric measurements. Method: Both child and family questionnaire was given, followed by weight and height measurements. The questionnaire consisted of general demographic information, anthropometric measurements, analysis of various nutritional element of daily intake. Using one-way ANOVA test after checked all assumptions. Also, Welch test was using whiles the assumption of homogeneity of variance not satisfed by levene test. Results: Higher mean BMI in children consuming legumes daily than weekly and rarely and also higher BMI mean in children drinking milk rarely than daily and weekly. While lower mean BMI in children drinking soft drinks rarely. For children height, the means among eating proteins, vegetables and drinking milk daily have lower heights mean than weekly and rarely. Height means in children who eating and drinking daily fat, fast food, and soft drinks have higher heights mean than weekly and rarely. Weight SDs with various nutrition elements shows no signifcant relation. Conclusion: Different type of nutritional elements and its effect on children’s growth so further studies should be made to identify the values of the level of food intake and its beneft on the child growth. of fast food is highly associated with total energy and fat intake and inversely associated with daily intake of fruit, vegetables and milk [8]. Tis study aimed to determine the association between various nutritional elements and weight, height, and BMI in children and adolescents in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Method Tis cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah and included 653 children aged 2–18 years who were randomly selected in 2015–2016; children older than 18 years were excluded (n=36). Te child and family were interviewed using a questionnaire, followed by measurement of the child’s weight and height. Written and verbal consent were obtained prior to completion of the questionnaire by the parents. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of our hospital. Study setting: Te questionnaire was been distributed randomly in multiple primary health care facilities coming for regular follow up. Te questionnaire consisted of general demographic information, anthropometric measurements and current frequency of intake (day, week or rarely) of protein (eggs, meat, chicken and fsh), carbohydrates Journal of Patient Care J ou r n al o f P a ti e n t C a r e ISSN: 2573-4598