WHO Child Growth Standards Are Often Incorrectly Applied to Children Born Preterm in Epidemiologic Research

WHO child growth standards.

comprehensive review of the uses and interpretation of anthropometric references. The review concluded that the NCHS/WHO growth reference, which had been recommended for international use since the late 1970s, did not adequately represent early childhood growth and that new growth curves were necessary. The World Health Assembly endorsed this recommendation in 1994. The WHO Multicentre Growth R...

WHO Child Growth Standards

[Growth of preterm-born children].

Children born prematurely might experience a period of growth restriction just after birth. Catch-up growth begins during the first months of life and can be slow and progressive. These children may remain shorter and thinner throughout infancy and childhood compared to children born at term. In some cases, complete catch-up growth occurs only during adolescence. However, some children do not c...

Growth of preterm born children.

BACKGROUND In this review, we describe the growth of (very) preterm infants or (very) low-birth-weight infants from birth until adulthood. METHODS A systematic analysis of growth of these infants is thwarted by different definitions (classification by gestational age or birth weight) used in the literature. RESULTS The early postnatal period of these individuals is almost invariably charact...

The New Who Child Growth Standards

Adequate nutrition during the early years of life is of paramount importance for growth, development and long-term health through adulthood. It is during infancy and early childhood that irreversible faltering in linear growth and cognitive deficits occur (1, 2). Poor nutrition during this critical period contributes to significant morbidity and mortality (3). Similarly, the increasing prevalen...