The use of anthropometry in the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity.

OBJECTIVE

To review concepts and propose measures related to the use of anthropometry for early identification of excessive weight gain in children.

METHODS

Review of results from national and international studies focusing on the assessment of childhood growth, and evaluation of the weight-for-height z-scores of individual children using the 1977 National Center for Health Statistics and the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts.

RESULTS

At present, few countries (23%) use indicators based on weight and height measurements to classify child body weight status. Less than one-third of growth monitoring programmes assess the growth of children beyond 6 y of age. Growth charts based on descriptive samples of populations undergoing increasing trends of childhood overweight and obesity result in substantial underestimation of true rates of these conditions.

CONCLUSION

Early recognition of excessive weight gain relative to linear growth should become standard clinical practice by the following: (a) the routine collection of height measurements to enable monitoring weight-for-height and body mass index (BMI); (b) the expansion of existing monitoring programmes to include the assessment of all children up to 18 y at least once a year; (c) the interpretation of weight-for-height and BMI indices based on prescriptive reference data; and (d) the early intervention after an increase in weight-for-height or BMI percentiles has been observed.