Colombians are not as short as you think compared to other countries: their growth is just a few centimeters away from the final height of Europeans. This is the result of a study funded by Colciencias, with 29,000 men and women participating from birth to 20 years old, conducted by the Colombian Association of Pediatric Endocrinology (ACCEPTER), the Cardioinfantile Foundation (FCI), and the Karolinska Institute from Sweden.
It was found that by the age of 20, men in the country measured between 1.60 and 1.84 meters (1.72 on average) and women between 1.49 and 1.71 (1.60 on average). "We are not as small as it might be thought, there is a 5 to 8 cm difference in final height compared to some European countries that are 1.80 meters or more," says pediatric endocrinologist Audry Mery Matallana, who participated in the study. This surgeon from the University of Valle, director of the associated medical program at the University of Valle Hospital, emphasizes that the measurements from Bogotá, Barranquilla, Medellín, and Cali in children and young adults correspond to a developed country.
The measurements were taken from children and adolescents starting from layer 3 onwards, considering that these values developed in a family and economic environment conducive to normal development. Additionally, the children had to be healthy, not premature, and at least one parent had to be Colombian. The experts were responsible for each team in each city. The Karolinska Institute in Sweden had previously trained nurses on measurements to ensure they followed the same methodology and pattern. For example, the study found that babies born on the coast or in cities at a lower altitude tend to be a little bigger than those born in cities like Bogotá, although this is not a significant difference. "This leads us to believe that the partial oxygen pressure affects the size of the baby at birth," says the endocrinologist.
It was a team of 30 people led by pediatric endocrinologist Paola Durán who explained, “This research responds to the need to have our own normal values, which helps us understand our population: knowing how we are and considering our environment. We had to create the curve to identify the potential of a child with Colombian genetics who is not sick, has good nutrition, and is healthy." The study also focused on weight, waist, and head circumference: "We are somewhat overweight compared to the WHO at certain ages."
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