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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

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Trends in Anthropometric Measures Among US Children 6 to 23 Months, 1976-2014

Lara J Akinbami1,2, Brian K Kit3,2, Margaret D Carroll3

  • 1National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Maryland; and lea8@cdc.gov.

Pediatrics
|February 19, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Childhood growth surveillance shows stable weight-for-age and weight-for-length trends but a decrease in high length-for-age. Non-Hispanic black children experienced increased weight gain over time.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Public Health Surveillance
  • Growth Monitoring

Background:

  • Children's growth surveillance is crucial for assessing population nutritional status.
  • It helps identify risks for adverse health outcomes in early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze trends in length-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-length.
  • To describe patterns of early childhood weight gain in US children aged 6-23 months.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning multiple periods from 1976-2014.
  • Calculated z-scores relative to World Health Organization growth standards to identify low (< -2) and high (≥ +2) indicators.
  • Estimated relative weight gain from birth to survey participation, analyzing trends by race/Hispanic origin.

Main Results:

  • Prevalence of low/high length-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-length in 2011-2014 reported.
  • A significant decrease in high length-for-age was observed from 1976-1980 to 2011-2014 (5.5% to 3.7%).
  • No significant overall trends in weight-for-age or weight-for-length were found; however, non-Hispanic black children showed increased weight gain over time.

Conclusions:

  • No significant trends in low or high weight-for-age and weight-for-length were identified in children aged 6-23 months between 1976-1980 and 2011-2014.
  • The percentage of children with high length-for-age decreased significantly during this period.
  • A notable trend of increased relative weight gain was observed specifically among non-Hispanic black children.
Abstract

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