Differences in Anthropometric Parameters of 4-6 Year Old Children Seen in a Northeastern Oklahoma Pediatric Clinic

Abstract

This study evaluated anthropometric differences in distribution of 4-6 year old children seen in a northeastern Oklahoman clinic for four weight categories by insurance type, or biennial exam year categories. and body mass index (BMI) z-scores difference by gender, insurance type or biennial exam year category. The majority of the children in the clinic had normal weight (80%). Approximately 4.7%, 10%, and 7.7% of the children were underweight, at-risk for overweight, and overweight, respectively. The prevalence of at-risk of overweight and overweight children was lower than the national average. Mean BMI z-score of self-pay and government assisted children were significantly higher than those with private insurance. The relation of BMI and insurance status was hard to evaluate because of the small number of children in the self-pay and government assisted categories, therefore the findings on the relation between BMI and insurance category needs to be interpreted with caution.