Ask a Doctor

Kathleen A. Costlow, MD
Pediatric and Adolescent Practitioners, Inc.
453 Waterbury Ct., Suite 100
Gahanna, Ohio 43230
Phone: (614) 471-0652

Q:  What are growth charts and what do they mean?

A:  Growth charts are a means of monitoring your child's growth throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence. They consist of several "curves" representing a rate of growth at a certain percentile.  Growth charts are categorized by gender and age.  Male and female growth charts exist for ages 0-36 months and 2-18 years.

From 0-36 months, three growth parameters are followed: weight, length and head circumference. From 2-18 years, two growth parameters are followed: weight and height. The difference between length and height is that length is measured lying down and height is
measured standing.  It is important that once a child is measured standing, he or she be plotted on the 2-18 year growth curve.

A physician looks for an adequate rate of growth within the above parameters and not an overall total value or percentile. Since children come from a variety of genetic backgrounds, parents should not be concerned with a specific number (e.g. 10% or 75%) but, with continuity along a curve. Some fluctuation of percentiles between visits is acceptable. Your child's physician will let you know when an increased or decreased rate of growth is concerning.  At times these changes may represent an underlying issue or illness.

There are a few things to remember when it comes to growth charts.  The first is that the "original" growth curve was determined by measuring and averaging healthy Caucasian males and females.  Therefore, they do not take into account ethnicity, prematurity or chronic illness.  At present, there are some growth curves specific to syndromes or chronic conditions. Second, the growth curve is only a small part of evaluating the wellness of a child and should not be relied on as the only way.  Finally, if at any point a parent does not understand or is concerned about values or changes on the growth curve, they are encouraged to ask their child's pediatrician about it.