2025/10/01 by Eric O. Ohuma, Bancy Ngatia, Simon Parker +2 · 1 voice
Nursing · Medicine · Health Professions · #Child Nutrition and Water Access #Infant Development and Preterm Care #Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/1471-0528.70039
openalex publication_date 2025/10/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
OBJECTIVE: The Guidance for International Growth Standards (GIGS) project aims to improve and promote appropriate application of international growth standards across clinical, research and public health settings. DESIGN: A guidance document providing historical and conceptual context to support the appropriate application of international growth standards. SETTING: Global; applicable across public health, clinical, research and epidemiological contexts where child growth monitoring is key. POPULATION OR SAMPLE: Neonates and children under 5 years. METHODS: Narrative synthesis of key growth monitoring approaches, historical evolution of growth charts and a renewed call for a standardised assessment of child growth using a suite of international standards. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Not applicable. This paper does not report original outcomes, but highlights intended use and application of growth standards. RESULTS: Presents a historical overview of growth chart development, clarifies distinctions between descriptive, prescriptive and customised standards and introduces the rationale and a suite of statistical tools provided by the GIGS project. The paper presents insights from three companion papers, providing a structured guide to growth standard application. CONCLUSIONS: The appropriate and correct application of international growth standards offers the opportunity to improve early identification of at-risk infants and children and reduce global disparities in child health outcomes. The GIGS project provides a structured framework and set of tools to operationalise these standards, supporting consistent application across diverse settings and facilitating progress towards global child health goals.