How is child growth characterized?
Growth corresponds to the increase in weight, length/height, growth of the head and other body modifications that take place over time.
Growth begins soon after fertilization and continues throughout pregnancy, childhood and adolescence, and is influenced by different factors:
- Genetic
- Hormonal
- Nutritional
- environmental (psychosocial and affective)
How often should the child's growth assessment be done?
Growth assessment should be done at all child and adolescent health surveillance visits, being more frequent in the first 12 months of life.
Why is it important to do the growth assessment?
Growth is an important indicator of child and adolescent well-being, which allows monitoring the child's health status. It's important to understand that growing too fast or too slow can eventually be a cause for concern.
What are the parameters that are evaluated?
At each visit, the doctor analyzes the pace of growth according to three main parameters:
- Weight: The newborn should be weighed once a week to check if the birth weight has recovered and if the weight gain is occurring as expected. Weight should be assessed on a calibrated scale, with the child undressed or wearing only underwear, according to their age
- Length/height: up to 2 years of age, the length should be assessed, with the child lying down and, from that age, in children who can already stand, height is measured using the appropriate equipment
- Head circumference (cephalic): is measured using a tape measure for the first two years
Over time, the body mass index [weight (Kg) divided by height2 (m)] is also calculated, which allows the analysis of whether the child is overweight or obese.
All these values are recorded in the growth curves of the Child and Youth Health Bulletin.
Is growth always the same?
No. Growth occurs pulsatile and depends on the child's genetic potential and the interaction of several factors. In addition, it is different depending on the age of the child:
- Newborn and infant (first year of life): Newborns can lose up to 10% of their birth weight in the first few days after delivery, but regain it by 2 weeks of age. It's a fast-growing phase. In the first trimester, there is a weight gain of about 20-30 g/day and usually triple the birth weight by 12 months of age
- child: on average, the weight gain is about 2 Kg/year. Between the ages of 2 and 3 they reach half of their final height and, around the age of 4, they double their length at birth. At this stage, they continue to grow, but at a slower pace, which is normal
- Adolescence: Adolescence is once again a period of rapid growth, in which, in addition to genetic factors, there is the influence of sex hormones on growth
In females, puberty starts earlier, so peak growth is also reached earlier (between 11 and 14 years old) compared to boys (between 15 and 17 years old).
The growth peak is wider and more prolonged in boys, contributing to their tendency to be taller than girls.
What can I do to help my child grow in a healthy way?
You should adopt healthy lifestyle habits, including:
- Provide a balanced and varied diet, avoiding excess salt and sugary foods
- add vitamin D supplementation in the first year of life
- encourage regular exercise and time outdoors
- ensure that the child gets enough sleep, bearing in mind that sleep patterns vary according to age and in each child