Growth of Czech breastfed infants in comparison with the world health organization standards

Abstract

Growth references are important for paediatric health monitoring. It is critical to understand differences in growth interpretation and potential consequences when using available growth references. This study compares the growth of Czech breastfed children with the current WHO growth standards 2006 and the Czech references 1991, 2001.A total of 960 infant/parent pairs in the Czech Republic were recruited through paediatric practices. Anthropometric data were collected during infants’ first 12 months of life and parent questionnaires were gathered during a preventive visit at 18 months. Czech breastfed infants were longer with a greater head circumference at all percentiles compared to the WHO standards and were similar to the national references. The percentile weight-for-age and weight-for-length values of infants (≤ 6 months) were lower, and higher (6–12 months) compared to the WHO standards. The infant growth in the sample differed from both the WHO standards as well as the national references. Our findings indicate that the growth of Czech breastfed children differs from the current national references. These discrepancies were smaller compared to the WHO standards. The results of the study were used for new growth assessment guidelines to optimize feeding recommendations for Czech infants. The adoption of the WHO standards in the Czech Republic is not recommended.