Early Detection and Referral of Children with Malnutrition
Growth Monitoring Chart
Interpreting Good or Bad Growth
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Child Growth Monitoring Chart
Explanation
Click here for a large image of this chart
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Table of Minimum Expected Weight Gain for Children Less than 2 Years Click here for a large image of this chart
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Good Growth
The child has gained enough weight if the curve is going up and the slope is parallel to one of the reference curves.
Even if the child is small, the growth curve should still go up and should be parallel to one of the reference curves to show the child is growing well.
If the child has missed one growth monitoring session, the "At 60 days" column of the Table of Minimum Expected Weight Gain should be used to calculate the child's expected weight, based upon his/her weight of two months before. The child's growth will be classified as adequate or inadequate.
If the child has missed two or more growth monitoring sessions, the child's weight should be plot on the growth card but it can not
be joint with the previous dot. The "Adequate growth" can be assessed only in the next month.
Bad Growth
The child growth is static if the curve is flat. This is a dangerous sign that need to be further investigated.
The child has lost weight if the child's growth curve shows a downward direction.
The child's growth is slowing and the weight gain is less than expected if the curve is less steep than the reference curve.
Using the Table of Minimum Expected Weight Gain
Every child, whether big or small, should gain a known amount of weight each month if she/he is growing well.
The table of expected minimum weight gain gives the expected weights after one month and after two months. It is useful to check on a child's growth to determine whether a child has gained an adequate amount of weight or not.
Children should be referred for suspected acute malnutrition in the following cases:
- They do not gain weight for more than two months.
- They are losing weight.
- They are falling below the bottom line:
- A child below 2 years of age with plotted weight below the "low-weight-for-age" curve
- A child two years old and above with plotted weight below the "very-low-weight-for-age" curve
Note: None of the above indicators are recognized by international standards as diagnostic criteria for admission in acute malnutrition treatment programs.
02 January, 2009
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