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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study

Published on: February 2, 2017

A method for assessing age-standardized weight-for-height in children seen cross-sectionally

T J Cole

    Annals of Human Biology
    |May 1, 1979
    PubMed

    Insights

    Childhood weight-for-height standards often ignore age, but this study introduces a new index. This age-standardized weight-to-height ratio accurately assesses nutritional status in children until puberty.

    Area of Science:

    • Pediatrics
    • Anthropometry
    • Nutritional Science

    Background:

    • Current weight-for-height standards in children often incorrectly assume weight is independent of age.
    • This assumption is biologically and statistically unjustified, leading to potential inaccuracies in growth assessment.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate and propose a new regression-based standard for assessing weight-for-height in children.
    • To develop a more accurate index that accounts for age-standardized weight and height.

    Main Methods:

    • Age-standardized weight and height were calculated by expressing them as fractions of the 50th centile for age.
    • A ratio of age-standardized weight to the square of age-standardized height was investigated as a weight-for-height index.
    • Data from 4631 children across five countries were analyzed.

    Main Results:

    • The proposed index, age-standardized weight/(age-standardized height)², is appropriate for assessing weight-for-height in children from infancy through pre-puberty.
    • This index demonstrates utility in evaluating malnutrition and obesity in individuals and groups.
    • The index requires modification with a higher exponent during puberty.

    Conclusions:

    • A novel, age-adjusted weight-for-height index provides a more accurate assessment tool than traditional methods for pre-pubertal children.
    • The developed index and associated slide-rule offer a practical method for evaluating nutritional status.
    • Further research is needed to refine the index for use during pubertal development.

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