Growth monitoring during the early years
Growth is an indicator of health and nutritional status. Notably, it has been reported that about 30% of Singaporean parents were unable to correctly gauge whether their child was underweight or overweight based on body mass index (BMI). This is a concern because when a normal weight infant or child is perceived by its parents to be underweight, there is a tendency to overfeed, potentially putting the child at risk of obesity. Growth monitoring helps ensure that children receive adequate and appropriate nutrition to support optimum growth and development.
Children with non-organic feeding disorders (NOFEDs) should be supplied with adequate calories, protein, and other nutrients (nutritional rehabilitation). In children with NOFEDs, oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) can also help if they are unable to meet their nutritional requirements with normal foods alone. Energy- and nutrient-enriched infant formulas have been shown to improve nutrient intake, weight gain and linear growth.