Diet and Nutrition Survey of Infants and Young Children in Scotland, 2011

References and endnotes

1. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health/World Health Organisation. The UK_WHO_Growth Charts: Early Years. London: RCPCH, 2009 Available online: http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/growthcharts

2. The new UK-WHO 0-4 years Growth Standards were introduced in the UK because they represent an international standard of growth for infants and young children in good health who were exclusively or predominantly breastfed for at least four months. The new charts were constructed using the WHO Growth Standards for infants aged two weeks to four years, which used data from children from around the world with no known health or environmental constraints to growth. WHO Growth Standards represent a pattern of linear growth, which is remarkably consistent between different countries and ethnic groups following recommended feeding practices. They are applicable to all children in the UK, including those from ethnic minority groups. The WHO data are combined with birth data for gestations 23 to 42 weeks from the UK 1990 growth reference for various reasons.

3. The Z-score classification system is a means to interpret weight-for-height, height-for-age and weight-for-age. The Z-score (standard deviation scores) is widely recognised as the best system for analysis and presentation of anthropometric data. The Z-score system expresses the anthropometric value as a number of standard deviations or Z-scores below or above the reference mean or median value.