Use Of Growth Charts For Promoting Child Nutrition

Written to assist managers of child health programs, this publication explains the features and uses of a simple visual chart for monitoring childhood growth and detecting changes in nutritional and health status. The first part of the book introduces the basic principles and procedures for measuring changes in growth and knowing when these changes signal a deterioration in health. Highly practical information on the design and use of growth charts is presented. In order to ensure that growth charts are understood and properly used by community health workers, the book alerts program managers to specific problems of design, presentation, recording, or interpretation that should be considered when developing or adapting a chart for local use. Illustrations show a prototype chart and modified versions developed to meet special needs in India, Indonesia, Colombia, Thailand, and Brazil. The book also shows how such charts can be used for the education of mothers in appropriate feeding practices and the development of a medical history. The second part of the book offers guidelines for training health workers to use the chart. Information ranges from important points to stress when teaching weighing procedures to examples of cases where growth information might be misinterpreted. (RH)

The measurement and interpretation of growth in childhood is the most widespread assessment instrument for individual and community health and nutrition status. Current use of growth charts were assessed on an international basis in 1972. Chart requirements were defined; a prototype chart was developed, tested, and evaluated for international use. The resulting growth chart is a simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-use means of monitoring child health and nutrition in local health services. Basic health data is organized and presented for use in 1) assessing current health status; 2) projecting growth trends; 3) defining levels of care. The visual character of the chart provides the health worker with a useful, educational instrument to understand growth and development and the consequences of inadequate diet and infectious diseases. It allows greater maternal responsibilities for child care. The guide to the use of growth charts presents a model chart which can be easily adapted to lacal needs.

This publication provides comprehensive ?state-of-the-art? information on the subject pertinent to developing countries, particularly India. Besides serving as a textbook, this volume is also intended to provide practical guidelines for day-to-day nutrition-related problems; serve as reference material for researchers, help provide practical leads to planners and sensitize the reader to ongoing National Nutrition Programmes.

This volume provides a contemporary and historical overview of infant nutrition in Europe, North America, and the Third World. It emphasizes the important role that good nutrition, appropriate health care, and a caring environment play in promoting healthy physical and social growth in children. Issues covered include breast feeding, maternal undernutrition and reproductive performance, weaning, and the social and pyschological factors of breast feeding. The book will serve as an excellent guide for nutritionists, pediatricians, health professionals and others involved in child welfare worldwide.