Child growth standards

Training course and other tools

Training course

The Training Course on Child Growth Assessment is a tool for the application of the WHO Child Growth Standards. It is intended primarily for health care providers who measure and assess the growth of children or who supervise these activities. The course is designed for use over 3 1/2 days. It teaches how to measure weight, length and height, how to interpret growth indicators, investigate causes of growth problems and counsel caregivers.

The course materials can be downloaded from the following links:

Course modules and growth records
Job aids

The WHO child age calculator (a rotating disk mounted on a calendar in PVC material) for calculating child age is part of the course materials that will be made available in WHO Regional Offices when the trainers of trainers workshops are conducted in the respective Regions.

Other tools

Another set of tools consists of growth charts for boys and girls up to age five (60 completed months): length/height-for-age, weight-for-age, weight-for-length/height, and body mass index-for-age. These charts are complemented by windows of achievement for the following six gross motor milestones: sitting without support, standing with assistance, hands-and-knees crawling, walking with assistance, standing alone, walking alone.

The links below permit users to download or view an anthropometry training video. This video describes the MGRS measurement procedures and how to calibrate the measuring equipment. It is available in English, French and Spanish.

A copy of the video as DVD or VHS (in NTSC or PAL format) can also be ordered from the following address:

Dr Mercedes de Onis
World Health Organization
Department of Nutrition
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland

Fax: +41 22 791 4156

Basic Guidelines

Endorsements