Low for age weight status is not significantly associated with short-for-age body height in Kenyan schoolchildren – a pilot study

Background Stunting is commonly used as an indicator of malnutrition. Both are especially prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, the association between nutrition and growth has been questioned. Objectives This study examined whether low weight status for age is significantly associated with short height for age of Kenyan children aged 3 to 10 years. Sample and Methods Data were collected in Nairobi, Kiambu, and Kisumu in 1982, including 109 Kikuyu and 82 Luo children. The associations between age, sex, population, weight status, and body height were analysed. Results Sex and low weight status for age showed no significant associations with short height for age. With increasing age, the likelihood of showing short height for age increased significantly (p=0.001). Furthermore, population affiliation had a significant impact (p<0.001), with Kikuyu children showing a 3.61 times higher risk of being short for age than Luo children. Conclusion Weight-for-age as an indicator of nutrition is not significantly associated with short height-for-age in Kenyan schoolchildren. We question the suitability of standardized global tables for height percentiles for countries with heterogeneous populations.