Development and Application of a Pediatric Anthropometric Evaluation System.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Anthropometry
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Children with disabilities face unique nutritional challenges, including feeding issues and altered growth patterns.
• Accurate anthropometric measurements are difficult in children with physical disabilities due to physical limitations and equipment challenges.
• Existing growth charts may not adequately represent children with physical disabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly package of anthropometric measurements for children with physical disabilities.
• To create specialized growth charts and computer software for assessing growth in this population.
• To introduce the Sunny Hill Anthropometric Pediatric Evaluation System (SHAPES) for nutritional monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Coquitlam Growth Study and the Sunny Hill Growth Study.
• Developed custom computer software for serial plotting of measurements on growth charts.
• Created growth charts for various anthropometric measurements applicable to both disabled and able-bodied children.

Main Results:

• The Sunny Hill Anthropometric Pediatric Evaluation System (SHAPES) was developed, including specialized growth charts.
• The software enables comparative assessment of growth, muscle, and adipose tissue development.
• A case study demonstrated SHAPES' utility in challenging nutritional evaluations.

Conclusions:

• SHAPES provides a valuable tool for the nutritional assessment and monitoring of children with physical disabilities.
• The system addresses limitations of traditional anthropometric methods in this population.
• SHAPES facilitates better understanding and management of growth and nutritional status in children with disabilities.