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| |    Growth Measurements: What They Mean to Doctors by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. The basic growth measurements are weight, height (or length), and head size (circumference). Doctors and nurses also often look at weight-for-height, and at body mass index (BMI). Each of these measurements has its own meaning. Weight In a newborn baby, weight is a sign of how well nourished the infant was in the womb. Low birth weight can be a sign of problems during the pregnancy (for example, certain chromosomal problems or exposure to harmful substances). Premature babies usually are born underweight compared to full-term infants, although they may be just right for their gestational age. In infants, weight gain is a good sign of how well the baby is taking in calories and converting them into muscles, bones, and other body tissues. In older children, weight is a measure of overall body size and composition. Overweight children often have a lot of unnecessary fat, although some very muscular children also weigh in on the high side. Height or length In general, when children have enough to eat, their height is controlled by the genes they inherited from their parents. There are medical problems that can cause growth to speed up and other problems that cause it to slow down, so a child who is much taller or shorter than usual should have a medical assessment. Head size The skull expands as the brain grows so that normal head growth is a sign of healthy brain growth. However, people with big heads are not on the whole any smarter than people with small ones! It is only when a child's head is growing very much faster or slower than usual that a doctor will think about a possible medical cause. Weight-for-height The usual weight chart doesn't tell you much about the child's actual build. For example, a child who was on the low side could either be short and normally built or of normal height and skinny. The weight-for-height chart solves that problem by comparing children to others who are the same height. A child who is high on the weight-for-height chart is physically thicker than most, with more muscle or fat, or both. A child who is low on the weight-for-height chart is on the thin side. Being very low in weight-for-height is one of the more reliable signs of under-nutrition. Body Mass Index (BMI) This is just another way of taking both height and weight into account, when seeing how a child or adult compares to his or her peers. BMI is one of the best ways to detect children and adults who are at risk for becoming overweight. In the last several years, the number of overweight and obese children has increased greatly, bringing with it an increased risk of long-term health problems. For a very helpful web page explaining BMI, along with a tool to calculate BMI for your children, see www.CDC.gov/...
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