What Are Clinical Growth Charts?

What to know

Clinical growth charts are percentile curves showing the distribution of selected body measurements in children and adolescents. Health care providers and parents commonly use growth charts to plot and track child and adolescent growth.

Four children playing outside with hands raised to the sky.

Growth chart features

Growth charts have several features, as shown in the example below.

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Growth chart sample shows features: growth chart name, box for patient data, percentile curves, outcomes like BMI, and age.
Five features of clinical growth charts.

What are percentiles?‎

Percentiles are the most commonly used clinical indicator to assess child and adolescent growth patterns. Percentiles show a person's position by indicating what percentage of the reference population the person equals or exceeds.

An appropriate reference population, accurate measurements, and accurate age calculations are important factors when assessing childhood growth. Body measurements can be compared to the appropriate sex-specific growth chart. This allows pediatric health care providers to monitor growth and identify potential health or nutrition problems.

To view, print, or learn more, see Clinical Growth Charts.

CDC's Child and Teen BMI Calculator calculates BMI, BMI percentile, and BMI category for children and adolescents 2 to 20 years. It also plots BMI on the appropriate growth chart.

Test your knowledge

  1. The clinical growth charts display age on the horizontal x-axis and an outcome such as stature, weight, or BMI on the vertical y-axis.
    1. True
    2. False
  2. The clinical growth charts display English units only.
    1. True
    2. False

See answers.A

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)
  1. Question 1: True. Question 2: False. The clinical growth charts are scaled to metric units (weight in kilograms and height in centimeters) but also display English units (weight in pounds and height in inches).