Growth Assessment in Adolescence: Measurement and Interpretation for the Middle East and North Africa

Adolescence is one of the most challenging phases of human life, and it is characterized with a rapid pattern of growth and development. Due to its uniqueness, it is of utmost importance to assess and monitor the nutritional status during adolescence as it lays out the foundation of healthy growth and lifestyle toward adulthood. Growth assessment of adolescents provides a dynamic testimonial to their general health and nutritional status. Considering physiological and biological changes during this period, the use of anthropometry provides the best means of monitoring physical growth and evaluating any abnormalities or deviations from normal growth, such as underweight, overweight, stunting, and wasting. The assessment of nutritional status necessitates the use of appropriate measurement techniques and good reliable tools such as growth references to ensure obtaining the highest quality of data. Growth references are among the most sensitive and valuable tools for evaluating children’s health and development. In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed growth references for adolescents with aim to fill the gap in the old growth charts and provide references for the 5–19 years age group. These curves provide insights into monitoring growth and nutritional health as well as provide accurate estimates of malnutrition in this critical developmental phase. This chapter provides, firstly, an overview of growth charts as an assessment tool and, secondly, a summary on the interpretation of growth patterns in health and disease among adolescents and implications of adolescent growth assessment using the new WHO references within the MENA region.