Updated 12-2015 Connecticut WIC Program Manual

WIC 200-11 SECTION: Certification

SUBJECT: Growth Chart Plotting of Premature Infants and Children Federal Regulations: WIC Policy Memorandum 2011-05 WIC Nutrition Risk Criteria WIC 200-10 Anthropometric Data WIC 200-11 Guidelines for Growth Charts and Gestational Age Adjustment for Premature, Low Birth Weight and Very Low Birth Weight Infants (in process of revision) POLICY For premature infants who are less than 40 weeks adjusted gestational age: Growth may be plotted and assessed using the premature growth chart depicting the infant’s growth trend from birth that is provided by the local hospital/health care provider, if available. CT-WIC will have the functionality to plot premature infants who have reached the equivalent of 40 weeks gestation. Growth will be assessed using the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Birth -24 months gender specific growth charts (based on 2006 WHO international Growth Standards) (see also WIC 200-10), using adjusted gestational age. The CDC Birth-24 months gender specific growth charts shall not be used for premature infants who have not yet reached the equivalent of 40 weeks gestational age. If manually plotting an infant’s growth, under no circumstances should any anthropometric data prior to 40 weeks gestation be plotted on the CDC Birth -24 months gender specific growth charts to assess a premature infant’s growth. When using the CDC Birth- 24 month gender specific growth charts for premature infants once 40 weeks gestational age has been reached; and for children with a history of prematurity, plotting of weight and length shall be based on adjusted gestational age until their second birthday. Plotting of head circumference for premature infants shall be based on adjusted gestational age until their second birthday. CT-WIC will auto-correct up until the second birthday for premature infants. Nutritional Risk assessment in premature infants and children with a history of prematurity shall be based on gestational adjusted age for the following risk criteria:

 Short stature or at risk of short stature (until their second birthday) FNS Nutrition Risk Criterion #121 (CT-WIC auto-assigned based on data)

 Low head circumference (until their second birthday) FNS Nutrition Risk Criterion #152 (CT- WIC auto-assigned based on data entry)