title: Implementation of the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study in India.
abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) Asian site was New Delhi, India. Its sample was drawn from 58 affluent neighborhoods in South Delhi. This community was selected to facilitate the recruitment of children who had at least one parent with 17 or more years of education, a key factor associated with unconstrained child growth in this setting. A door-to-door survey was conducted to identify pregnant women whose newborns were subsequently screened for eligibility for the longitudinal study, and children aged 18 to 71 months for the cross-sectional component of the study. A total of 111,084 households were visited over an 18-month period. Newborns were screened at birth at 73 sites. The large number of birthing facilities used by this community, the geographically extensive study area, and difficulties in securing support of pediatricians and obstetricians for the feeding recommendations of the study were among the unique challenges faced by the implementation of the MGRS protocol at this site.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
authors.forename: Nita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bhandari
authors.forename: Sunita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taneja
authors.forename: Temsunaro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rongsen
authors.forename: Jyotsna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chetia
authors.forename: Pooja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Rajiv
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bahl
authors.forename: Dharmendra Kumar
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kashyap
authors.forename: Maharaj K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Bhan
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D048788:Growth and Development; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic / Q000592:standards; D011247:Pregnancy; D011786:Quality Control; D012015:Reference Standards; D014944:World Health Organization