title: The test-re-test reliability of routine infant anthropometry at primary care hospitals in Chongqing, PR China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reliable measurements of infants obtained from routine clinical practice are scarce.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the reliability of anthropometric measurements collected in routine clinical practice at primary care hospitals in Chongqing, PR China.
  
  
  METHODS
  The convenience sample comprised measurements from 739 infants aged <36 months. Using typical methods, child healthcare clinicians (CHCCs) measured four variables (recumbent and crown-rump lengths and head and chest circumferences); child healthcare nurses (CHCNs) performed re-measurement using standardized anthropometric techniques. Intra- and inter-observer measurement reliability were assessed mainly using technical error of measurement (TEM), mean absolute difference (MAD) and coefficient of reliability (R).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intra-observer MADs of the four measurements were significantly smaller among CHCNs than among CHCCs (p < 0.05). The inter-observer TEMs of recumbent length and head circumference measurements were 0.58-0.68 and 0.38-0.48 cm, MADs were 0.60-0.71 and 0.40-0.51 cm and Rs were 0.968-0.995 and 0.937-0.971. Crown-rump length TEMs and MADs were 0.77-0.83 and 0.81-0.87 cm and Rs were 0.896-0.961. Chest circumference TEMs and MADs were >1.00 cm and Rs were <0.90.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recumbent length and head circumference measurements were fair. Crown-rump length and chest circumference measurements were less reliable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, PR China. sarah6524@126.com
authors.forename: Huaying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Haiqi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiaofen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Hongying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D049628:Body Size; D002508:Cephalometry; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D002947:Cities; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018568:Crown-Rump Length; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013909:Thorax / Q000502:physiology; D014505:Urban Population