title: Comparison of Prevalence of Nutritional Status of Thai Children in the First 2 Years of Life Using National and International Growth Charts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Identify the difference of the nutritional status of Thai children from birth to 24 months of age using the national and international growth charts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analytic sample was of 4,224 children from the Prospective Cohort Study of Thai Children (PCTC). Age-specific prevalence of malnutrition was estimated using the NCHS, WHO, and Thai growth charts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rapid growth faltering was found in both genders during the first two years, regardless of the reference, but the Thai charts reflected better Thai children. When using the Thai and NCHS charts, a steep fluctuation was observed in infancy, although the prevalence of wasting, underweight, and overweight between the references became narrower at 24 months. Meanwhile, the WHO standards identified a higher number of stunted children and showed a linear increasing trend of overweight with age, compared to the Thai reference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the Thai growth charts better reflect the Thai children, in consideration of a double burden of stunting and overweight in Thailand, the WHO standards can be used to identify Thai children at risk of stunting and overweight in the first two years of life.
authors.forename: Seo Ah
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Aroonsri
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mongkolchati
authors.forename: Jirapom
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chompikul
authors.forename: Ladda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mo-Suwan
authors.forename: Chanpen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Choprapawon
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D057238:Growth Charts; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007228:Infant Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology; D019282:Wasting Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014944:World Health Organization