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Ministry of Health

World Health Organization Growth (WHO) Standards

Growth monitoring and promotion of optimal growth are essential components of primary health care for infants, children and adolescents. Growth monitoring confirms a child’s healthy growth and development, and identifies variations from typical growth due to poor nutrition, recent or chronic illness or other health problems. Currently, there is significant attention on children’s growth due to the rising incidence of childhood obesity.

In 2007, the World Health Organization released new international growth charts depicting the optimal growth of children from birth to age five years and charts for monitoring the growth of older children and adolescents.

In February 2010, the Dietitians of Canada, the Canadian Pediatric Society, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Community Health Nurses of Canada released a collaborative statement endorsing the adoption of the Charts.  The WHO Growth Charts (Charts) are considered the gold standard to monitor growth of children in Canada.

The Ministry of Health supports the recommendation that all health professionals adopt the Charts for promotion of consistent practices in monitoring and assessing growth patterns in infants, children and adolescents.

Provincial training materials have been developed for public health staff and primary care physicians to support the implementation of these new WHO Growth Standards. The materials include: guidelines on how to use, plot and interpret results on the new Charts; how to provide appropriate guidance to parents; and when to refer children with growth concerns for further follow up.