Child growth and development assessment nutritional intervention

1. Characteristics of children's growth and development

Growth and development are important characteristics of children. Monitoring and evaluating children's growth and development can help detect abnormalities as early as possible, find the cause in time and intervene as early as possible. There are consistency and differences in the growth and development patterns of children.

Specifically, consistency is reflected in the fact that growth and development have trajectories and follow common laws: ① Continuity and stages of growth and development. ② Procedural nature of growth and development. The growth and development of various aspects of the body have a certain order, and the brain and nervous system develop earlier. ③ Unevenness of growth and development speed. The growth and development of the human body alternates between fast and slow, presenting a wave-like speed curve. ④ The decisiveness of genetic and environmental factors on the growth process. Specific growth and development is achieved through the interaction of complex environmental factors and innate factors. ⑤ The growth level of individual children is relatively stable: growth has a trajectory phenomenon. When there is no significant change in external environmental conditions, the actual value of each child's growth is relatively stable at the same level at all times.

At the same time, children's growth and development are affected by innate genetic and acquired environmental factors, and have individual differences. Therefore, it is of great significance to evaluate and monitor children's growth and development.

2. Contents of Health Check

Through regular longitudinal observation, it is easier to find individual growth trajectories and understand children's growth trends. Generally, the younger the age, the faster the growth rate, and the more frequent the monitoring frequency should be. The monitoring frequency should be appropriately increased for high-risk children.

The basic requirement for evaluating children's growth and development is to make a correct evaluation. The key to this step depends on accurate measurement data, appropriate evaluation criteria, correct evaluation methods and reasonable result analysis. Commonly used monitoring indicators for children's growth and development include weight, height (length) and head circumference (less than three years old).

After the growth standard is selected, a growth curve chart should be reasonably selected based on work needs and population. The key to applying the growth curve chart: correctly record the measurement values ​​and reasonably interpret the results. In the growth curve chart, the growth situation can be judged by the abnormal growth trend of the child. The growth trend includes the following two categories: ① Growth fluctuation: During the series of measurements, the growth curve deviates from the original stable growth track and exceeds one main percentile line. It is a growth fluctuation. It is necessary to appropriately increase the frequency of growth monitoring and find out the reasons, and provide nutritional feeding guidance when necessary. ② Growth abnormality: When the child's growth level or body symmetry is <P3 or >P97, or the growth curve deviates from the original stable growth track by more than two main percentile lines during the series of measurements, it is called growth abnormality, and the cause needs to be found in time.

Children with growth deviations (especially those with growth retardation) should be actively and individually intervened to eliminate the causes and start nutritional intervention as early as possible to achieve catch-up growth.

During the growth and development process of children, growth and development tests are used to understand growth and development trends, and then the children's diet and nutrition are adjusted to help them grow better and faster.