The Growth Percentiles And Health Of The Child
There are many ways to evaluate the growth of the child. Finding an instrument that would allow this measurement has been the subject of several studies and data updates over the years. These researches aimed to foster understanding of the relationship between the child’s growth percentiles and health.
Between 1997 and 2003 the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a multicentre growth study (MGRS) in order to generate new growth curves designed to assess the development and growth of infants and young children in the world.
The MGRS collected key growth data and information on around 8500 children of different ethnicities and from different cultural backgrounds :
Beyond the tables and growth percentiles, to assess the health of the child
Whenever a baby is seen for a pediatric or family doctor visit, it is important that the child brings a record of growth measurements to the parents’ attention, and it is important that parents understand this information.
Furthermore, it is necessary to make them understand that the tables with the reference values and that are periodically updated thanks to the new information available are, moreover, a valid tool.
In general, the tables are guidelines and must be accompanied by the medical opinion of a professional. This is why it is important to draw growth curves that allow us to obtain an overall picture and not just a frame (very clear, but still more static).
To give an example, the Argentine Association of Pediatrics states that the third edition of the guidelines for the assessment of physical development represents an indispensable tool for the pediatrician. Precisely in this regard, this guide contains a press release from the Nutrition Committee, which states that:
What do the curves and data tell us?
The information given to us by growth percentiles and the relationship between this and the child’s health is generally expressed by percentages, which does not mean reducing our child to a number or quantity.
The usefulness of these tools lies in the fact that they make it possible to identify the existence of a proportion or area in which a group of children – united by age and context – fall within the average or not.
Do not fall within the limit values of the growth percentiles: is there to worry about the health of the child?
Values above the curves can cause concern, if the measurements do not follow the appropriate explanations, in the context of a relationship of trust.
Understanding whether growth is following a “normal” development process or not is the responsibility of the healthcare professional. Yet, it is essential to be able to count on the opinion of parents who, in some way, are “experts” of their children, because they take care of them.
Despite the established reference values, each child is a world of its own and factors such as genetics, environment or nutrition have a certain influence.
However, a potential wake-up call can be sudden fluctuations in weight and size between pediatric visits.
If these changes occur frequently, the specialist may want to perform some specific tests on the child to understand why these fluctuations occur during the development of the child in question. Another alarm bell is a development block, so even in this it will be necessary to investigate the cause.
The child’s growth and health percentiles
To conclude, subjecting the baby to regular medical examinations to ensure that the pediatrician can establish the relationship between the growth percentile and the child’s health conditions is fundamental in the growth and development phase.
However, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s growth, it is best to always seek advice from a healthcare professional.
