[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/02\/growth-percentile-charts-explained\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/02\/growth-percentile-charts-explained\/","headline":"Child Growth Percentile Charts Explained","name":"Child Growth Percentile Charts Explained","description":"Child growth percentile charts\u00a0have been used since 1977 when the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control (CDC)\u00a0introduced them as a tool for pediatricians to measure and monitor a child\u2019s growth. For children zero to two years of age, the\u00a0World Health Organization (WHO)\u00a0released a new growth standard in 2006 that is currently used today. These infant percentile charts allow […]","datePublished":"2014-02-12","dateModified":"2021-08-05","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/pediatrics","name":"Pediatrics","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/pediatrics","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/pediatrics\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/growth-percentile-charts-explained.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/growth-percentile-charts-explained.jpg","height":325,"width":754},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/02\/growth-percentile-charts-explained\/","about":["Pediatrics","Pregnancy and Childbirth"],"wordCount":272,"keywords":["Centers for Disease Control","growth percentile chart","World Health Organization"],"articleBody":"Child growth percentile charts\u00a0have been used since 1977 when the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control (CDC)\u00a0introduced them as a tool for pediatricians to measure and monitor a child\u2019s growth. For children zero to two years of age, the\u00a0World Health Organization (WHO)\u00a0released a new growth standard in 2006 that is currently used today. These infant percentile charts allow physicians to compare one child\u2019s growth to the full range of optimal growth.Growth percentile charts are gender-specific and compare information, including:Length-for-ageWeight-for-ageWeight for lengthHead circumferenceThese child growth charts are just one tool that a pediatrician will use to evaluate the health of a child. At each visit the pediatrician will measure:HeightWeightHead circumferenceThe information gathered is then placed on to the growth chart grid and compared to the normal range. It\u2019s important to note that there is a wide range of what is considered normal. In fact\u00a0any\u00a0infant percentile can be considered normal, as long as a child continues to follow that growth percentile or above. If a child\u2019s growth follows the curve of the chart, it indicates that they are getting the correct nutrition and their growth is progressing as expected.If a child continues to drop in percentile on their child growth chart, this could be cause for concern. Dropping may indicate that they are not getting adequate nutrition or that further testing should be done to evaluate what may be impacting their growth.It is important to ask your pediatrician questions about your child\u2019s growth and development, including any concerns you may have about their overall health."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2014","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Child Growth Percentile Charts Explained","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2014\/02\/growth-percentile-charts-explained\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]