International Journal of Health Sciences

Pre-School Children Mother's Awareness and Application of the Growth Curve in Japan
Takako Kumagai, Haruyuki Ito, Yukiko Mano

Abstract
In Japan, growth charts for use until children reach 18 years of age are included in Maternal and Child Health Handbooks. However, the charts are not used actively after children reach school age. Little is known about the reasons. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the usage of growth charts by mothers of nursery school students shortly before students’ entrance into elementary school and mothers’ attitudes toward the use of growth charts in order to aid initiatives that promote the long-term use of growth charts. The subjects were 465 mothers and their nursery school-aged children (3-6 years) for whom continuous somatometric measurements were available. A total of 32.5% of the mothers utilized growth charts (primiparous: 36.4%, multifarious: 29.0%), of whom 28.8% of primiparous mothers used them once every six months and 32.4% of multifarious mothers, once a year. At 18.0%, “I am not concerned about my child’s physique” was the most common reason for not utilizing growth charts. To ensure the long-term use of growth charts, it is necessary to provide mothers with health guidance designed to emphasize the importance of assessing their children’s physiques and to encourage the practice of keeping periodic records

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/ijhs.v4n2a5