The comparison of wasting, stunting, low weight, and overweight rate in infants by using the World Health Organi-zation Child Growth Standards and China Growth Standards / 临床儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objectives To compare the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards and the 2005 China national growth standards for identification of the wasting, stunting, low weight and overweight in infants. Methods Data were drawn from“Infants’feeding and growth”project. Weight-for-length, weight-for-age and length-for-age were derived in z-scores using the two growth references. Stunting was defined as having a length-for-age Z-score less than-2. Low weight was defined as having a weight-for-age Z-score less than-2. Wasting was defined as having a weight-for-length Z-score less than-2. Overweight was defined as having a weight-for-length Z-score more than+2. Results Data of a total of 3909 records from 959 health children aged from 2 to 12 months from June 2008 to May 2009 were analyzed. Of them, 53.88%(2106/3909)were from male and 46.12%(1803/3909)were from female. There was no difference in wasting rate and stunting rate between using two growth references. Fewer infants were identified as low weight by using WHO growth standard than using China growth stan-dard. The results were 0.57%at 0-3 months (0.85%vs.1.42), P>0.05, 0.72%at 4-6 months (0.39%vs. 1.11%) and 0.97%at 7-9 months (0.79% vs.1.76%), P0.05). Con-clusion Some differences were found in low weight and overweight rate by using two growth standards. Infant low weight rate was lower and overweight rate was higher by using WHO growth standard than that using China growth standard.