Growth in childhood is an important marker of overall health and development. Altered growth can be an indicator of underlying health, development or social issues. Growth assessment is one of the easiest ways to confirm the health and nutrition of children. It requires accurate measurement of weight, height or length, and in infants and young children their head circumference, then plotted on an age and gender appropriate growth chart. It is important to remember that growth charts are not a diagnostic tool, but rather contribute to forming an overall clinical impression of the child being measured.

The content of this webpage has been revised into an eLearning Module intended for use by health professionals in Australia working with young children and their families e.g. Junior medical staff, maternal and child health nurses, nursing students, allied health students.

The eLearning Module is designed to explain normal patterns of growth in childhood, best practices for measurement and monitoring of growth, practical use of growth charts currently recommended for use in Australia, and recognition of patterns of growth that require further assessment and management.

The eLearning Module is currently undergoing a revision. In the interim, there are other growth chart education modules available through the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)