A current review of the international growth standards for preschool children

Growth and development in childhood are pivotal for future health and well-being. Therefore, anthropometric assessments using growth standards including growth charts by percentiles, BMI and z-scores are important for the evaluation of nutritional status. This article reviewed the current international growth standards for preschool children as published by public health agencies in Taiwan, the Unitd States, the United Kingdom, Japan, China and the World Health Organization. We then compared and discussed the applications of the growth chart, the BMI and the z-score for assessing growth and nutritional status during childhood. Since there are various methods for assessing children's growth status, the choice of assessment tools is a complex issue. In the fields of public health, pediatrics, and nutrition in Taiwan, there has been very limited study of growth standards. We hope that this research will increase awareness about the issue and make nutritional assessments of children much more comprehensive. (Taiwan J Public Health. 2012;31(2):W5-118).