Author Topic: IMPORTANT!!: New Growth Charts Announced by WHO  (Read 34385 times)

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Offline luckyb52

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IMPORTANT!!: New Growth Charts Announced by WHO
« on: April 29, 2006, 08:55:06 am »
The World Health Organization (WHO) has just announced new growth charts, showing the normal height, weight and body mass index (BMI) for growing children (the BMI is an index of whether a child is under or overweight).

Its older charts were based on predominantly formula-fed babies. Since the WHO now strongly advocates exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is 6 months old, toddlers will be leaner.

The charts are on the WHO site at:

Weight-for-age

Girls:  http://www.who.int/entity/nutrition/media_page/cht_wfa_girls_z_0_5.pdf
Boys:  http://www.who.int/entity/nutrition/media_page/cht_wfa_boys_z_0_5.pdf

Length/height-for-age

Girls:   http://www.who.int/entity/nutrition/media_page/cht_lhfa_girls_z_0_5.pdf
Boys:   http://www.who.int/entity/nutrition/media_page/cht_lhfa_boys_z_0_5.pdf

BMI-for-age

Girls:   http://www.who.int/entity/nutrition/media_page/cht_bfa_girls_z_0_5.pdf
Boys:   http://www.who.int/entity/nutrition/media_page/cht_bfa_boys_z_0_5.pdf

Please look at the charts and see where your LO fits into them!

Regards

LuckyB52

Offline klt

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Re: IMPORTANT!!: New Growth Charts Announced by WHO
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2006, 17:12:40 pm »
Basically, you take your child's age and look along the bottom line of the chart, then the height/weight along the left side of the chart.  If these two meet on the green line marked "0" then your child is average height/weight for his/her age ie at the 50th percentile.  If they meet above the green line they are above average and below it, they are below average.  HTH!

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What is a percentile?

Percentiles are the most commonly used clinical indicator to assess the size and growth patterns of individual children in the United States. Percentiles rank the position of an individual by indicating what percent of the reference population the individual would equal or exceed. For example, on the weight-for-age growth charts, a 5-year-old girl whose weight is at the 25th percentile, weighs the same or more than 25 percent of the reference population of 5-year-old girls, and weighs less than 75 percent of the 5-year-old girls in the reference population.

What is a z-score?

A z-score is the deviation of the value for an individual from the mean value of the reference population divided by the standard deviation for the reference population. Because z-scores have a direct relationship with percentiles, a conversion can occur in either direction using a standard normal distribution table. Therefore, for every z-score there is a corresponding percentile and vice versa.

Offline GG

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Re: IMPORTANT!!: New Growth Charts Announced by WHO
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2006, 01:45:44 am »
Oops!  :-[  Never mind. I found them:

http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/en/

(This time there was a link on the main page. Sheesh! Oh, and the problem was my computer with their version of Acrobat. Hmm...)
« Last Edit: August 04, 2006, 01:56:22 am by GG »
Georgia, mom to 3 sweet babes: touchy Foti, spirited Lena & not-so-tiny Joanna