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New Danish reference values for height, weight and body mass index of children aged 0-5 years

A M Nielsen1, E M Olsen, A Juul

  • 1National Institute of Public Health, Southern University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark. helge.olesen@email.dk

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|November 17, 2009
PubMed

Insights

New Danish child growth references show increased birth weight, length, and BMI since the 1970s, indicating healthier early growth patterns up to age five.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric endocrinology
  • Growth and development studies
  • Public health and child welfare

Background:

  • Established national growth references are crucial for monitoring child health.
  • Previous Danish references date back to the 1970s, necessitating updated data.
  • International standards like the WHO 2006 growth charts provide a benchmark.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish current reference values for height, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in Danish children aged 0-5 years.
  • To compare these new references with historical Danish data and the WHO 2006 standard.
  • To assess trends in child growth parameters over time.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study included 4105 healthy singleton children born in 1995.
  • Measurements of height and weight were taken at birth and seven subsequent health examinations up to age five.
  • Generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) were employed to generate percentile curves.

Main Results:

  • Significant increases in mean length, weight, and BMI were observed at birth and in early infancy.
  • These differences diminished over time, with BMI decreasing by 1 year of age.
  • By age five, children exhibited greater height, weight, and BMI compared to the WHO 2006 standard.

Conclusions:

  • New, age-specific reference values for length/height, weight, and BMI have been developed for Danish children.
  • A notable increase in birth weight, length, and BMI has occurred since the 1970s.
  • Childhood growth during the first year of life appears to be healthier based on these updated references.
Abstract

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