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The World Health Organization child growth standards: expected implications for clinical and epidemiological research

J Van den Broeck, D Willie, N Younger

    European Journal of Pediatrics
    |August 2, 2008
    PubMed

    Insights

    The World Health Organization (WHO) child growth standards, released in 2006 and 2007, will significantly impact future anthropometric research and nutritional assessments. These new standards are expected to influence research questions, methods, and the validity of findings in child growth studies.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatric nutrition
    • Anthropometry
    • Public health

    Background:

    • The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced new child growth standards in 2006 and 2007, replacing previous National Center for Health Statistics references.
    • These standards serve as an international tool for assessing child growth and nutritional status.

    Discussion:

    • The adoption of WHO child growth standards necessitates a re-evaluation of past research methodologies and results.
    • Implications extend to the selection of research questions, nutritional indices, and the training of personnel conducting measurements.
    • Ensuring the internal and external validity of research findings is crucial during this transition.

    Key Insights:

    • The new WHO standards are poised to reshape the landscape of anthropometric research.
    • A shift in focus towards new nutritional indices and updated measurement techniques is anticipated.
    • The long-term impact on growth and nutrition research will become evident as the scientific community adopts and validates these standards.

    Outlook:

    • Continued research is needed to fully understand the functional validity of the WHO child growth standards, especially for previously unavailable indices.
    • Healthcare professionals and researchers must adapt to these new standards, fostering a more consistent global approach to child growth assessment.
    • The transition period will gradually clarify the full scope of the standards' influence on pediatric research and practice.

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