ABSTRACT
Prenatal growth is the most rapid phase of growth in children. Growth rate slowly declines during infancy and early childhood until during the primary school years when children grow at a fairly steady rate of about 5-6 cm/year. This declines to about 4-5 cm/ year just prior to the pubertal growth spurt, during
Measuring growth is a key tool in monitoring normal development and is used as part of a nutritional assessment. When energy intake from food and drinks is adequate, weight gain will be within normal parameters. Normal growth measurements can reassure health professionals and parents while variations from expected growth can be an important indicator in diagnosing obesity, growth faltering, endocrine disorders, emotional neglect and other medical conditions. Growth rates vary throughout childhood and knowledge of how and why they vary is important for interpreting growth measurements.
