Growth assessment:Clinical implication of weight and stature measurement / 中国实用儿科杂志

ABSTRACT

Anthropometry and growth assessment are useful for not only growth monitoring but also differential diagnosis of diseases in clinic. They can provide information about influencing factors of physical growth,and may give insight into the basic mechanisms underlying the growth disturbance and thus the pathogenesis of the disease. The core elements of anthropometry are weight and height. By taking accurate physical measurements,pediatrician can learn about the growth,body proportion,and disturbance of the developmental process in quantitative terms. However,pure number of measurements are meaningless. They are valuable only in relation to other parameters and in comparison with normal values.