The 9-year-old child is at the 98th percentile for weight and at the 40th percentile for height. The school nurse determines that this child is: 1. Underweight or small in stature. 2. Overweight or large in stature. 3. Experiencing a prepubescent growth spurt. 4. Normal for size.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is 2. Overweight or large in stature.
Here’s an explanation:
Percentiles in growth charts are used to compare a child’s measurements (weight and height) to others of the same age and gender. A percentile indicates the relative ranking of a child’s measurement compared to a group of peers. For example, being at the 98th percentile for weight means that the child weighs more than 98% of children their age and gender. Likewise, being at the 40th percentile for height means the child is taller than 40% of peers but shorter than 60% of others.
In this case, the child’s weight at the 98th percentile is notably high, suggesting that the child may be overweight compared to their peers. The height being at the 40th percentile is relatively lower, indicating that the child is shorter than most of their age group. When these two measurements are considered together, the child’s weight is disproportionate compared to their height. Therefore, it’s likely that this child has a higher body mass index (BMI), which is associated with being overweight or having a large stature for their height.
While some children may experience a prepubescent growth spurt, which involves rapid growth in height and weight, the fact that the child is in a high percentile for weight and lower percentile for height doesn’t necessarily indicate a growth spurt. A growth spurt typically results in both height and weight increasing at similar rates. So, in this case, the child’s development likely indicates being overweight or larger than average for their height.
I will generate an image to visually represent the child’s weight and height percentiles now.
Here’s an illustration showing the child’s position on a growth chart with their weight at the 98th percentile and height at the 40th percentile. This visual can help you better understand the comparison of weight and height percentiles.
