Application and research progress of child growth standards

ZHANG Zhenyu; ZHANG Ting; LI Ziyun; ZHANG Li; LIU Huijuan; LI Yan

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-1385

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (10) : 1158-1163. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-1385

Review

Application and research progress of child growth standards

ZHANG Zhenyu¹, ZHANG Ting², LI Ziyun², ZHANG Li², LIU Huijuan², LI Yan²

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Abstract

Child growth and development are core indicators of individual health and population nutritional status, and growth standards serve as the key basis for translating anthropometric measurements into clinical decision. Currently, growth standards can be broadly classified into reference standards, which describe the growth status of specific populations, and prescriptive standards, which define ideal health conditions. Their construction methods have also undergone a statistical evolution from simple normal distribution assumptions to the LMS method and the generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). Although international standards such as those developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), INTERGROWTH-21st, and Fenton have been widely adopted worldwide, the application of a single standard remains controversial and may carry a risk of misclassification because of differences in racial genetics,geographic environment, and socioeconomic conditions. In China, although the latest Growth Standards for Children Under 7 Years of Age has been implemented, regional disparities in growth levels continue to pose challenges to accurate assessment. Therefore, this paper reviews the classification of growth standards, the evolution of statistical methodologies, the characteristics of major international standards, and the current development of domestic standards in China, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for clinicians to select appropriate assessment tools in complex settings and for the future development of more precise and individualized growth models.

Key words

growth standards / growth monitoring / LMS / GAMLSS / growth and development / children

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ZHANG Zhenyu, ZHANG Ting, LI Ziyun, ZHANG Li, LIU Huijuan, LI Yan. Application and research progress of child growth standards[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2026, 34(10): 1158-1163 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-1385

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