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Body mass index (BMI) is generally accepted as a useful index of various clinical situations related to obesity. However, there are no reference BMI charts for Saudi children; this paper is an attempt to establish these. A total of 21,638 Saudi schoolchildren between ages six to 16 years (49.6% males) were studied. Curves for BMI, seven percentiles -5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th -were constructed. As a reference material, BMI data for American children were modified into Hegira years. It was found that, in agreement with others, the BMI for the Saudi children studied was age-and gender-dependent. Comparison between Saudi data and international reference showed the expected genetic influence. These results remain to be compared with those from other regions in the Kingdom. Ann Saudi Med 1994;14(6):495-498. Province. 1994; 14(6): 495-498 Body mass index (BMI) can be used to predict future obesity 1 and is useful as an index of obesity during childhood 2 and as a measure of weight relative to stature. 3 Moreover, correlation between repeated measurements of BMI on the same individuals is higher than other measures of adiposity such as skinfold thickness. 4 In addition, BMI is easier to measure and can be readily derived from routinely recorded height and weight. Thus, it is available for use in retrospective studies. GM Magbool, Body Mass Index of Saudi Children Ages Six to 16 Years from The EasternHowever, there is no previous publication on reference BMI for Saudi children. This study is an attempt to develop such BMI curves for six-to 16-year-olds. Material and MethodsThe study was conducted in four districts in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia -Dammam, Al-Khobar, Qatif and Al-Hassa -which included rural and urban areas. The population consisted of schoolchildren between six and 16 years of age who had been shown to be free of musculoskeletal deformity on physical examination. The sampling was two-staged, cluster and cross-sectional; details have been described elsewhere. 5Standard techniques were employed to measure height and weight.5 Thus, with boys in underclothes and girls in light gown, the children were weighed barefoot on a Secalever type scale (made in Germany) which can read to the nearest 100 g. It was calibrated at the beginning of each working day and taring was done at each weighing.Height was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm using the measuring rod attached to the same weighing scale with a slide headpiece. The child stood on the platform with heels touching and feet at an angle of 45°. Heels, buttocks, shoulders, and occiput were made to touch the vertical rod. The head was held erect with the external auditory meatus and the lower border of the orbit in one horizontal plane. The headpiece was then lowered until it lightly touched the hair. All readings were taken before 11:00 a.m. BMI or Quetelet index was derived using the formula BMI = weight(kg)/height(m) 2 . A second derivation was required. The children's ages had been registered in Hegira years (which are 11 days shorter...

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Background: Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (type II DM) is frequently associated with abnormal levels of lipids, particularly in patients with poor diabetic control. This study was designed to investigate the influence of type II DM on levels of plasma lipids and other related parameters in Saudi patients. Saudi Arabia has a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the adult population. Since the Saudi population presents a unique group with different dietary habits, lifestyle and genetic make-up, we investigated the lipids, lipoprotein and apolipoprotein pattern in Saudi type II DM patients. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 2835 diabetic patients (1361 males, 1474 females) and 200 age-matched healthy adults from the same areas with no history of diabetes mellitus. Data collected included height, weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and other relevant parameters. Lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins were estimated, and correlation studies were carried out between these parameters. Lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins were also correlated with the fasting blood glucose. Results: Our results showed significant elevation in cholesterol and triglyceride, apo A and apo B levels in the diabetic males and females compared to the controls. Approximately 37% of the total DM patients fell in the borderline risk group, while 28.4% fell in the high-risk group for development of cardiovascular disease. Lipoproteins did not differ significantly. Cholesterol, triglyceride, VLDL, LDL and Hb Alc correlated positively with glucose (P<0.05), while triglyceride, VLDL, HDL, LDL, apo A and apo B showed significant correlation with cholesterol, where all parameters increased with cholesterol except HDL, which decreased as cholesterol increased. Conclusion:The findings point toward high prevalence of dyslipidemia in type II DM Saudi patients.

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