Growth chart

A graph that places measurements such as height, weight, or head circumference against reference distributions for people of the same age and sex. It helps track growth over time and identify patterns that may merit assessment.

Growth percentile: A position in a reference distribution indicating the proportion of a population with measurements below a given value. Growth charts commonly plot measurements as percentiles to make comparisons by age and sex.
Anthropometry: The measurement of the size, proportions, and composition of the human body. Growth charts are built from repeated anthropometric measurements.
Well-child visit: A routine health visit for monitoring a child's development, health, and preventive care. Clinicians often record and review growth-chart measurements during these visits.
Growth reference: A statistical description of measurements in a population used for comparison, without necessarily defining a health target. A reference describes observed distributions; it does not by itself establish ideal growth.
Z-score: A measure of how many standard deviations an observation lies from a reference mean. Z-scores express a child's distance from the chart's reference median on a common scale.
Stature: The vertical distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head when standing. Standing height is one of the principal measurements plotted on charts for older children.
Failure to thrive: A descriptive term for inadequate weight gain or growth in a child, requiring assessment of underlying causes. A declining weight trajectory can prompt evaluation, though the chart alone cannot diagnose the cause.
Growth standard: A benchmark describing how a population is expected to grow under specified conditions. Standards represent a prescriptive healthy-growth benchmark, unlike references that summarize observed populations.
Longitudinal data: Data collected from the same individuals at multiple points over time. A growth chart becomes more informative when successive measurements reveal a child's trajectory.
Body weight: The mass of a person's body, commonly measured in kilograms or pounds. Weight is plotted by age or compared with height to monitor growth and nutrition.

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