Re-Examining Growth Charts for U.S. Children Aged 5 Through 11 Using Data from 2010 to 2016

Purpose: The present study seeks to compare growth charts for U.S. children’s height, weight, and BMI using recent data from 2010-2016 to the 2000 CDC growth charts.<br><br>Methods: Data were used from the nationally-representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-2011 (ECLS-K:2011), which followed 17,990 students from fall 2010 through spring 2016. Growth charts for height, weight, and BMI were constructed and compared to the CDC growth charts.<br><br>Results: ECLS-K:2011 growth charts reflect higher weights and BMIs with similar heights across percentiles at every age. Disparities between growth charts for weight and BMI widen as children age. By the time children reached age 11, 24% of boys and 18% of girls were considered to be at or above the 95th percentile for BMI based on CDC growth charts.<br><br>Conclusions: CDC growth charts are important tools for identifying children at-risk for negative health outcomes and should continue to be used for diagnosing obesity. However, the obesity epidemic has lessened their ability to identify a patient’s true percentile among current peers. Revised growth charts can be used in conjunction with the CDC growth charts to increase provider knowledge on current obesity trends and address misperceptions of obesity in the community.