Comparison between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization growth curves for six to 12 months old infants

Abstract

Objective: Compare the nutritional status of male and female infants classified according to the growth curve proposed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC-2000) and the new growth curve proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO-2006). Methods: This longitudinal study enrolled children of 6-12 months old of both genders. They were born at term and exclusively or predominantly breastfed. A single researcher collected demographic, anthropometric and nutritional data. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare curves and the Friedman test was used to analyze the variance. Results: Among the 55 followed children, 51% (n=28) were males. The percentages of normal weight-for-age and proper height-for-age in both genders were above 80%. The nutritional status classification according to both growth curves was similar. Agreement between the two curves regarding weight and height was 98.2 and 96.4%, respectively. Conclusions: CDC-2000 and WHO-2006 growth curves were similar regarding nutritional status classification of 6-12 months old breastfeed infants.