WHO Child Growth Standards z-score cut-offs
Paediatrics
Also known as: WHO-Wachstumsstandards: Z-Score-Kategorien · DSÖ büyüme standartları z-skoru kategorileri · WHO child growth z-score categories (stunting, wasting, underweight, overweight)
What it is for
WHO expresses a child's measurement as a z-score: the number of standard deviations (SD) from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards (birth to 5 years) or the WHO Growth Reference (5–19 years).
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Length/height-for-age (under 5) | below −2 SD stunted; below −3 SD severely stunted. |
| Weight-for-length/height (under 5) | below −2 SD wasted; below −3 SD severely wasted; above +2 SD overweight; above +3 SD obese. |
| Weight-for-age (under 5) | below −2 SD underweight; below −3 SD severely underweight (it reflects both wasting and stunting and is not used to judge overweight). |
| BMI-for-age, 5–19 years | above +1 SD overweight; above +2 SD obesity; below −2 SD thinness. |
Source
WHO Child Growth Standards; WHO Growth Reference 5–19 years
WHO · World Health Organization, Geneva 2006 and 2007
- Edition
- WHO Child Growth Standards 2006 (0–5 years) and WHO Growth Reference 2007 (5–19 years)
- Checked on
Summary of the published classification in our own words. Not a substitute for the original publication.
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