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Updated Japanese growth references for infants and preschool children, based on historical, ethnic and environmental

Noriko Kato1, Hidemi Takimoto2, Tetsuji Yokoyama3

  • 1Area on Community Health System Research, National Institute of Public Health, Wako, Japan.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|February 24, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Updated growth references for Japanese children (birth to 6 years) were created using national data. These new charts offer insights into child development and differ from existing international standards.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Anthropometry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Accurate child growth references are crucial for monitoring development and identifying potential health issues.
  • Existing growth charts may not reflect the current anthropometric characteristics of specific populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish updated, nationally representative growth references for Japanese children aged 0-6 years.
  • To facilitate precise growth monitoring and enhance child care practices in Japan.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal data from national surveys and hospitals.
  • Construction of growth references for length/height, weight, head, and chest circumference using the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) method.
  • Comparison of newly derived references with World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards.

Main Results:

  • Smoothed percentile values (3rd, 50th, 97th) for key anthropometric measures in boys and girls (0-6 years) are presented.
  • Significant differences were observed in median measurements when comparing the new Japanese references with WHO charts.
  • The study provides updated data on Japanese child growth patterns.

Conclusions:

  • The developed growth references are based on a current, representative sample of Japanese children.
  • These findings offer valuable insights into child growth considering historical, ethnic, and environmental factors specific to Japan.
  • The updated references are essential for accurate pediatric health assessments in Japan.
Abstract

Keywords:
Growth referenceInfantsLMS methodNeonatal weight lossPreschool children

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