Pediatric Nutrition in Practice

Child Growth 5

1

weight-for-age is shortness or thinness. There is a
need for both height-for-age and either weight-
for-height or BMI curves and assessment of recent
growth velocity to make a comprehensive nutri-
tion/growth evaluation. Definitions of abnormal
values are often provided on the basis of standard
deviations (SD), where stunting and wasting are
defined as values below –2 SD and severe wasting
and severe stunting as values below –3 SD. For a
definition of overweight and obesity, the Interna-
tional Obesity Task Force values are often used
[10]. Based on data from several countries, age-
specific BMI values were identified based on the
percentiles which, at 18 years, meet the male adult
values of 25 for overweight and 30 for obesity.
With the development of software, easily
available on the Internet (e.g. http://www.who.int/
childgrowth/software/en/), it has become easy to
enter weight and length data, to calculate percen-
tiles and SD scores and to plot the curves on a

graph. This is a valuable tool for surveillance, fol-

lowing trends of malnutrition and overweight

a nd ob e sit y i n p opu l at ion s. It i s a l s o a n i mp or t a nt

public health tool for monitoring the nutritional

status of populations. It is often relevant to per-

form such surveillance on local, regional and na-

tional levels.

Conclusions

• Regular measurements of weight and length/
  height as well as plotting on growth charts, in-
  cluding weight-for-height or BMI, are impor-
  tant tools in monitoring health and nutritional
  status of both sick and healthy children


• Regular monitoring of growth of healthy chil-
  dren should be conducted via the primary
  health care system, including school health
  services

WH: Establishing a standard definition

for child overweight and obesity world-

wide: international survey. BMJ 2000;

320: 1240–1243.

11 Tanner JM, Whitehouse RH, Takaishi

M: Standards from birth to maturity for

height, weight, height velocity, and

weight velocity: British children, 1965. I.

Arch Dis Child 1966; 41: 454–471.

12 Tanner JM, Whitehouse RH, Takaishi

M: Standards from birth to maturity for

height, weight, height velocity, and

weight velocity: British children, 1965.

II. Arch Dis Child 1966; 41: 613–635.

13 Tanner JM: Growth at Adolescence.

Oxford, Blackwell, 1962.

14 Tanner JM, Whitehouse RH: Revised

standards for triceps and subscapular

skinfolds in British children. Arch Dis

Child 1975; 50: 142–145.

15 Nysom K, Mølgaard C, Hutchings B,

Michaelsen KF: Body mass index of 0 to

45-y-old Danes: reference values and

comparison with published European

reference values. Int J Obes Relat Metab

Disord 2001; 25: 177–184.

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DOI: 10.1159/000360310