Growth Charts and Anthropometry

A 3-year-old boy from rural Maharashtra is brought to the pediatric clinic by his mother. On anthropometry, his weight is 11 kg (10th percentile for age), height is 88 cm (5th percentile for age), and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is 13.5 cm. His weight-for-height is 85% of expected. He has no clinical signs of edema or skin changes. Developmental milestones are normal. What is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 2-year-old girl from Delhi is brought to the well-child clinic for routine immunization. On measurement, her weight is 10.5 kg (25th percentile), height is 82 cm (10th percentile), and MUAC is 14 cm. Her weight-for-height is 92% of expected. She has mild bilateral pitting edema of the feet. The mother reports a 2-month history of poor appetite and loose stools. What is the most appropriate next step in management?

Which of the following is the correct interpretation of a child's growth chart plot showing weight crossing two major percentile lines downward over 6 months?

A 3-year-old boy from rural Madhya Pradesh is brought to the pediatric clinic by his mother for assessment of poor growth. Birth weight was 2.8 kg (appropriate for gestational age). Current weight is 11 kg and height is 85 cm. His mother reports that he has been exclusively breastfed until 18 months and introduced to family foods thereafter. On examination, he appears alert, with mild temporal wasting and loss of subcutaneous fat. Developmental milestones are appropriate for age. His hemoglobin is 9.8 g/dL. When plotted on the WHO growth chart, his weight-for-age falls at the 3rd percentile and height-for-age at the 5th percentile. What is the most likely nutritional diagnosis?

A 3-year-old boy is brought to the pediatric clinic by his mother with a complaint of poor growth. On examination, his height is 85 cm and weight is 11 kg. Using the WHO growth charts for Indian children, he plots below the 3rd percentile for height and weight. The child appears clinically well with no dysmorphic features or organomegaly. Which is the most appropriate next investigation to differentiate constitutional delay of growth from pathological short stature?