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Is the 2000 CDC growth reference appropriate for developing countries?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Dominique Roberfroid*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Nutrition Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 155 Nationalestraat, B-2000 , Antwerp, Belgium
Marie-Paule Lerude
Affiliation:
Médecins du Monde, Brussels, Belgium
Armando Pérez-Cueto
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Nutrition Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 155 Nationalestraat, B-2000 , Antwerp, Belgium
Patrick Kolsteren
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Nutrition Unit, Institute of Tropical Medicine, 155 Nationalestraat, B-2000 , Antwerp, Belgium
*
*Corresponding author: Email [email protected]
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Abstract

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In 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced a revised growth reference. This has already been used in different settings outside the USA. Using data obtained during a nutritional survey in Madagascar, we compare results produced by using both the 2000 CDC and the 1978 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)/World Health Organization (WHO) growth references. We show that changing the reference has an important impact on nutritional diagnosis. In particular, the prevalence of wasting is greatly increased. This could generate substantial operational and clinical difficulties. We recommend continued use of the 1978 NCHS/WHO reference until release of the new WHO multi-country growth charts.

Type
Short Communication
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2006

References

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