title: Assessment of gross motor development in the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study.
abstract: The objective of the Motor Development Study was to describe the acquisition of selected gross motor milestones among affluent children growing up in different cultural settings. This study was conducted in Ghana, India, Norway, Oman, and the United States as part of the longitudinal component of the World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS). Infants were followed from the age of four months until they could walk independently. Six milestones that are fundamental to acquiring self-sufficient erect locomotion and are simple to evaluate were assessed: sitting without support, hands-and-knees crawling, standing with assistance, walking with assistance, standing alone, and walking alone. The information was collected by both the children's caregivers and trained MGRS fieldworkers. The caregivers assessed and recorded the dates when the milestones were achieved for the first time according to established criteria. Using standardized procedures, the fieldworkers independently assessed the motor performance of the children and checked parental recording at home visits. To ensure standardized data collection, the sites conducted regular standardization sessions. Data collection and data quality control took place simultaneously. Data verification and cleaning were performed until all queries had been satisfactorily resolved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Trudy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Wijnhoven
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Onis
authors.forename: Adelheid W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Onyango
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Gunn-Elin A
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Bjoerneboe
authors.forename: Nita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhandari
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lartey
authors.forename: Badriya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: al Rashidi
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005869:Ghana; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009664:Norway; D009850:Oman; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011786:Quality Control; D012015:Reference Standards; D014481:United States; D014944:World Health Organization