Public understanding of growth charts: A review of the literature

Ben-Joseph, Elana Pearl; Dowshen, Steven A.; Izenberg, Neil

doi:10.1016/j.pec.2006.09.001

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some growth charts have been specifically designed with the aim of increasing parental understanding. Most of such work has been conducted in developing country contexts (Ben-Joseph et al 2007;Roberfroid et al 2007). In general, higher literacy appears to result in better comprehension of the charts; however, even in Western contexts it has been suggested that many parents do not have the skills or prior knowledge to enable them to interpret patterns of infant and child growth (Sachs et al 2006b;Ben-Joseph et al 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Now I understand’: consulting parents on chart design and parental information for the UK‐WHO child growth charts

Sachs

Sharp

Bedford

et al. 2011

Child

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Now I understand’: consulting parents on chart design and parental information for the UK‐WHO child growth charts

Sachs

Sharp

Bedford

et al. 2011

Child

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“…However, the usefulness of these charts depends on whether parents are able to understand them and existing evidence shows that the general population does not [11]. Other approaches may therefore be more effective than teaching parents mathematical concepts [12]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cluster randomised trial testing an intervention to improve parents’ recognition of their child’s weight status: study protocol

et al. 2015

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BackgroundParents typically do not recognise their child’s weight status accurately according to clinical criteria, and thus may not take appropriate action if their child is overweight. We developed a novel visual intervention designed to improve parental perceptions of child weight status according to clinical criteria for children aged 4–5 and 10–11 years. The Map Me intervention comprises age- and sex-specific body image scales of known body mass index and supporting information about the health risks of childhood overweight.DesignThis cluster randomised trial will test the effectiveness of the Map Me intervention. Primary schools will be randomised to: paper-based Map Me; web-based Map Me; no information (control). Parents of reception (4–5 years) and year 6 (10–11 years) children attending the schools will be recruited. The study will work with the National Child Measurement Programme which measures the height and weight of these year groups and provides feedback to parents about their child’s weight status. Before receiving the feedback, parents will complete a questionnaire which includes assessment of their perception of their child’s weight status and knowledge of the health consequences of childhood overweight. The control group will provide pre-intervention data with assessment soon after recruitment; the intervention groups will provide post-intervention data after access to Map Me for one month. The study will subsequently obtain the child height and weight measurements from the National Child Measurement Programme. Families will be followed-up by the study team at 12 months. The primary outcome is any difference in accuracy in parental perception of child weight status between pre-intervention and post-intervention at one month. The secondary outcomes include differences in parent knowledge, intention to change lifestyle behaviours and/or seek advice or support, perceived control, action planning, coping planning, and child weight status at 12 month follow-up.DiscussionThe Map Me tool has potential to make a positive impact on children’s health at a population level by introducing it into current intervention programmes to improve accuracy of parental perception of child’s weight status. This trial will inform the action of researchers, educators, health professionals and policy makers.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN91136472. Registered 3 May 2013

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“…Growth is a vital marker of nutrition and health, and accurate plotting of measurements on growth charts is essential to allow it to be assessed. Previous studies conducted on understanding of the charts have focused primarily on parents, predominantly in developing countries, assuming that professional understanding is unproblematic (Ben Joseph et al . 2007; Roberfroid et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing new UK‐WHO growth charts: implications for health staff use and understanding of charts and growth monitoring

Wright¹,

Sachs²,

Short³

et al. 2011

Maternal & Child Nutrition

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New pre-school UK charts have been produced incorporating the new World Health Organization growth standards based on healthy breastfed infants. This paper describes the process by which the charts and evidence-based instructions were designed and evaluated, and what it revealed about professional understanding of charts and growth monitoring. A multidisciplinary expert group drew on existing literature, new data analyses and parent focus groups as well as two series of chart-plotting workshops for health staff. The first series explored possible design features and general chart understanding. The second evaluated an advanced prototype with instructions, using plotting and interpretation of three separate scenarios on the old charts, compared with the new charts. The first plotting workshops (46 participants) allowed decisions to be made about the exact chart format, but it also revealed widespread confusion about use of adjustment for gestation and the plotting of birthweight. In the second series (78 participants), high levels of plotting inaccuracy were identified on both chart formats, with 64% of respondents making at least one major mistake. Significant neonatal weight loss was poorly recognized. While most participants recognized abnormal and normal growth patterns, 13-20% did not. Many respondents had never received any formal training in chart use. Growth charts are complex clinical tools that are, at present, poorly understood and inconsistently used. The importance of clear guidelines and formal training has now been recognized and translated into supporting educational materials (free to download at http://www.growthcharts.rcpch.ac.uk).

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Public understanding of growth charts: A review of the literature

Cited by 16 publications

References 21 publications

‘Now I understand’: consulting parents on chart design and parental information for the UK‐WHO child growth charts

‘Now I understand’: consulting parents on chart design and parental information for the UK‐WHO child growth charts

A cluster randomised trial testing an intervention to improve parents’ recognition of their child’s weight status: study protocol

Designing new UK‐WHO growth charts: implications for health staff use and understanding of charts and growth monitoring

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