Introduction

Childhood growth depends on nutritional, health, and environmental conditions. Changes in any of these influence how well a child grows and develops. Historically, pediatric health care providers have used height, weight and head circumference measurements to assess changes in growth and development. These anthropometric measurements, a basic component of health care services for children, have been used to screen individuals and populations for nutrition related health problems. This introductory module describes the CDC Growth Charts and the reference population used to develop them along with commonly used anthropometric indices and evaluation criteria used to assess growth. An instruction sheet for using and interpreting the CDC Growth Chart is included at the end of this module.

Objectives

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

  Select the CDC Growth Charts on the Internet that are appropriate for your setting

  Describe the reference population used to develop the CDC Growth Charts

  Use the CDC Growth Charts to plot anthropometric measurements

Table of Contents for this Module and Printable Version of this Module

Estimated Time Needed to Complete the Module

To read through text: 25-30 minutes
To read through text and complete exercises: 35-40 minutes

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