A review of annual growth screening in Aboriginal schoolchildren in Australia

Objectives: To determine if growth screening in school-age Aboriginal child ren detects new, treatable growth problems. Methodology: A retrospective review of health centre records of children id entified as stunted or wasted from school screening from 11 remote Aborigin al communities in the Top End of the Northern Territory. The age of onset o f growth faltering, the occurrence of new growth problems in school-age chi ldren and initiation of treatment in response to the school screening resul ts were determined. Results: Weight faltering had occurred in all children by 18 months. The av erage age of onset of weight faltering was 6.6 months (range 3.5-12 months) for stunted children and 8.9 months (range 7.5-18 months) for wasted child ren. Height faltering in stunted children commenced in all children with do cumented height measurements by 3 years. Staff did not report any new inter ventions for poor growth as a result of screening school-age children in 19 93 although many children had previously been assessed by the local doctor or visiting paediatrician and were being monitored. Conclusions: All children that were found to be stunted or wasted were alre ady known to have poor growth prior to school entry. A change in focus is n eeded from repeatedly weighing and measuring school-age children to develop ing community based interventions to improve the nutritional status of all children. Annual measurement of weight and height beyond 5 years of age is not recommended unless it is used to help evaluate interventions aimed at i mproving nutritional status and educational achievement.