About This Course

Content

The WHO growth standard charts described in this training course apply only to children aged birth to 2 years. There are seven sections in this course:

1. Recommendations and Rationale for Using the WHO Growth Charts in the United States.
2. Creating the WHO Growth Standard for Infants and Young Children.
3. Comparing Methodologies Used to Develop WHO and CDC Growth Charts for Children Birth to 2 Years of Age.
4. Breastfeeding as the Norm for Infant Feeding.
5. Using the WHO Growth Standard Charts.
6. Summary.
7. Case Examples.

Self-assessment questions are included in each section. Supplemental materials are also available, including a course summary and references.

Target Audience

The target audience includes health care providers such as nutritionists, registered nurses, pediatricians, and other providers who measure and assess child growth.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of the training, you will be able to

• Discuss recommendations for using the WHO growth charts.
• Describe attributes of a growth reference versus a growth standard.
• Describe the differences between WHO and CDC growth charts for infants and young children aged 0-2 years.
• Discuss the effect of infant feeding on growth.
• Identify issues to consider when interpreting WHO growth charts.

The WHO growth charts are available at http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/who_charts.htm.