[The WHO Child Growth Standards for children under 5 years]

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Child Development

Background:

• The 1978 NCHS/WHO growth reference was based on formula-fed infants, leading to negative deviation in breastfed infants' growth.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) launched new global Child Growth Standards in 2006 for children under five.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a global growth standard for children under five, reflecting optimal growth for breastfed infants.
• To provide an updated reference that accurately represents healthy child growth across diverse populations.

Main Methods:

• Developed a multi-ethnic growth standard using data from Norway, USA, Brazil, Oman, Ghana, and India.
• Focused on children raised in healthy environments, breastfed, and not exposed to maternal smoking.

Main Results:

• The WHO Child Growth Standards illustrate how healthy children grow when essential health and environmental needs are met.
• Demonstrated that children from diverse ethnic backgrounds exhibit similar growth patterns under optimal conditions.
• The standards highlight the growth of breastfed infants, contrasting with the previous reference.

Conclusions:

• WHO Child Growth Standards are crucial for identifying and preventing overweight, growth faltering, and wasting.
• These standards affirm that healthy children grow similarly across different ethnicities when provided with optimal conditions.
• The updated standards offer a more accurate and equitable measure of child growth globally.