Growth Chart Infant History

By Helen

The growth charts consist of a series of percentile curves that illustrate the distribution of selected body measurements in U.S. children. Pediatric growth charts have been used by pediatricians, nurses, and parents to track the growth of infants, children, and adolescents in the United States. The growth charts were developed by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) as a clinical tool for health professionals to determine if the growth of a child is adequate. The charts were also adopted by the World Health Organization for international use.

When the growth charts were first developed, the government recommended that they be revised periodically as necessary. With more recent and comprehensive national data now available, along with improved statistical procedures, the growth charts were revised and updated to make them a more valuable clinical tool for health professionals. The growth charts represent the revised version of the growth charts. Most of the data used to construct these charts come from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which has periodically collected height and weight and other health information on the American population.

Growth charts are not intended to be used as a sole diagnostic instrument. Instead, growth charts are tools that contribute to forming an overall clinical impression for the child being measured. The revised growth charts provide an improved tool for evaluating the growth of children in clinical and research settings.