Table 2.
Sample and population size weighted results of the anthropometric characteristics of the sample of 1942 Palestinian adolescents from Ramallah and Hebron governorates
| Ramallah | Hebron | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totala | Boys | Girls | Pb | Totala | Boys | Girls | Pb | |
| n = 935 | n = 437 | n = 498 | n = 1007 | n = 458 | n = 549 | |||
| Age (years), mean (SE) | 14.4 (0.1) | 14.4 (0.1) | 14.4 (0.1) | 0.983 | 14.4 (0.1) | 14.3 (0.1) | 14.4 (0.1) | 0.273 |
| Age of onset of puberty (years), mean (SE) | 13.1 (0.1)* | 13.1 (0.1) | 13.0 (0.1) | 0.226 | 13.3 (0.1)* | 13.5 (0.1) | 13.1 (0.1) | 0.015 |
| Weight (kg), mean (SE) | 53.4 (1.0) | 53.5 (1.8) | 53.3 (1.0) | 0.899 | 51.1 (0.7) | 50.1 (1.3) | 51.9 (0.5) | 0.206 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SE) | 20.7 (0.3) | 20.1 (0.4) | 21.2 (0.3) | 0.045 | 20.1 (0.2) | 19.3 (0.3) | 20.7 (0.2) | 0.001 |
| BMI percentile, mean (SE) | 53.5 (2.1) | 47.2 (2.4) | 58.6 (2.4) | 0.002 | 49.1 (1.8) | 42.0 (2.5) | 54.9 (1.5) | < 0.001 |
| BMI categories using the 2000 CDC reference | ||||||||
| Underweight % (95% CI) | 6.1 (4.4, 8.3)* | 9.7 (7.7, 12.3) | 3.1 (1.8, 5.3) | 9.1 (7.1, 11.6)* | 12.9 (9.5, 17.2) | 6.0 (4.1, 8.7) | ||
| Overweight % (95% CI) | 12.9 (9.7, 16.9) | 9.6 (7.2, 12.7) | 15.6 (10.7, 22.2) | 0.005 | 11.2 (9.1, 13.8) | 8.5 (6.0, 12.0) | 13.5 (10.5, 17.1) | 0.001 |
| Obesity % (95% CI) | 7.0 (4.7, 10.4) | 8.2 (4.1, 15.7) | 6.0 (3.9, 9.3) | 4.1 (2.9, 5.8) | 4.9 (2.8, 8.5) | 3.4 (2.2, 5.6) | ||
| BMI categories using the IOTF criteria | ||||||||
| Overweight % (95% CI) | 16.4 (12.9, 20.5)* | 13.3 (10.6, 16.5) | 18.9 (13.5, 25.9) | 13.1 (10.9, 15.7)* | 10.9 (7.9, 14.9) | 14.9 (11.9, 18.6) | ||
| Obesity % (95% CI) | 4.1 (2.4, 7.1) | 5.2 (2.0, 12.9) | 3.3 (2.1, 4.9) | 0.182 | 2.1 (1.3, 3.4) | 2.2 (1.1, 4.6) | 2.0 (1.0, 3.9) | 0.230 |
| Height (cm), mean (SE) | 160.0 (0.7) | 162.1 (1.1) | 158.3 (0.5) | 0.005 | 159.2 (0.4) | 160.3 (0.8) | 158.4 (0.3) | 0.027 |
| Height for age percentile, mean (SE) | 38.1 (1.6) | 36.9 (2.6) | 39.1 (2.1) | 0.510 | 36.1 (1.2) | 33.3 (1.7) | 38.5 (1.3) | 0.022 |
| Stunting % (95% CI) | 7.3 (5.1, 10.4) | 9.2 (5.2, 15.4) | 5.9 (3.9, 8.8) | 0.195 | 6.5 (5.1, 8.3) | 9.4 (7.5, 11.7) | 4.2 (2.8, 6.2) | < 0.001 |
SE: Standard error. BMI: body mass index, 95% CI: 95% confidence interval. CDC: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, IOTF: International Obesity Task Force.
*P < 0.05
aP is for the difference between total adolescents in Ramallah governorate and total adolescents in Hebron governorates using χ2 for categorical variables and t-test for means.
bP is for the difference between genders in the same governorate using χ2 for categorical variables and t-test for means.
Number of adolescents who have reached puberty: boys from Ramallah = 363, girls from Ramallah = 389, boys from Hebron = 365, and girls from Hebron = 465.