In order to accommodate for heterogenous populations internationally, the WHO made an effort to gather data from different regions in every continent. The 1977 growth chart was subsequently used by the World Health Organization for dissemination to healthcare systems abroad. The growth chart was first developed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in 1977 to clinically analyze child development.

1 History and Revisions to Growth Chart.

Charts from these sources end up with slightly taller but thinner averages. Growth charts can also be compiled with a portion of the population deemed to have been raised in more or less ideal environments, such as nutrition that conforms to pediatric guidelines, and no maternal smoking. It's important to note that other parameters are more commonly used such as waist circumference for assessing obesity and skin fold difference for assessing malnutrition. For instance, endocrine disorders can be associated with a decrease in height velocity and preserved weight velocity while normal growth variants are associated with a decrease in height and weight velocity that are proportional to each other. Parameters used to analyze growth charts include weight velocity (defined as rate of change in weight over time), height velocity (defined as rate of change in stature over time), and whether someone's growth chart crosses percentiles.

When a child deviates from his or her previously established growth curve, investigation into the cause is generally warranted. Growth charts can also be used to predict the expected adult height and weight of a child because, in general, children maintain a fairly constant growth curve. The height, weight, and head circumference of a child can be compared to the expected parameters of children of the same age and sex to determine whether the child is growing appropriately. Growth charts have been constructed by observing the growth of large numbers of healthy children over time. Sample growth chart for use with American boys from birth to age 36 months.Ī growth chart is used by pediatricians and other health care providers to follow a child's growth over time.

Age progression chart