Comparison of Changes in Growth Percentiles of US Children on CDC 2000 Growth Charts With Corresponding Changes on WHO 2006 Growth Charts

Longitudinal data with 37 964 length and weight measurements from 10 844 children who participated in the California Child Health and Development Study was used to compare the proportion of children aged <= 24 months who crossed major percentile lines on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2000 growth charts with the percentage who crossed corresponding lines on the World Health Organization (WHO) 2006 growth charts. Percentage of children aged <= 24 months who crossed at least 2 major percentile lines for length-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-length according to CDC 2000 charts were compared with the percentage who did so according to WHO 2006 charts. The results from this analysis suggest that pediatricians who monitor children's growth on the basis of WHO 2006 growth charts may be more likely to refer children aged < 6 months and less likely to refer those aged 6 to 12 months for further evaluation for failure to thrive.