Very followed by young parents, the French growth charts are too dated. They do not take into account the general growth of the population.
The health records are too dated. The growth curves they indicate have not been reviewed since 1979. At a time when the General Directorate of Health (DGS) is considering their modernization, a French team concludes in PLOS One that the curves developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006 are closer to reality.
5% of French people lagging behind
Since the 1980s, the French population has grown. The growth charts included in the health records have not changed. The averages are therefore well below current standards. The work of the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) confirms this. 82,000 measurements of the weight and height of 27,000 children born between 1981 and 2007 were used to assess the value of using the curves provided by WHO.
From the first week after birth to 5 years, children are above the French growth curves. A difference that breastfeeding does not explain. One downside, however, in this age category, it would be better to keep the French standards. “If the WHO growth charts were used in France, most children would be considered to have grown too slowly during the first three months of life,” note the authors. A small French in 20 could likewise be considered stunted, a proportion twice as high as that expected in the population.
“Doctors are aware that children are taller today than 50 years ago and know how to interpret points that deviate from the average,” commented Barbara Heude and Pauline Scherdel in a press release. But what will be their analysis and their behavior in relation to new curves? There is indeed a risk of overdiagnosis of stunted growth in France, and marginalization of small children.
International curves also overestimate obesity and overweight in toddlers.
Better identify abnormal growths
It is between 5 and 15 years that the WHO curves correspond best to French growth. In this age group, they could better detect abnormal growths. To do this, Inserm researchers have planned to compare the predictive nature of the WHO and France curves on pathological growth retardation.
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