Growth charts for children-Which ones to use in post Covid era?

Covid 19 is on the wane in most countries and the post-Covid era is on the horizon, thereby meaning the emergence of after effects of the pandemic. The Covid lockdowns, job losses, migration, effect of disease itself have resulted in increased burden of malnutrition in children in many ways specially in low to middle income countries(LMICs). It is the triple burden i.e. under nutrition (stunting, wasting and underweight), obesity and micronutrient deficiency. As per a report in the Lancet, wasting is likely to increase by 14% post-Covid 1.In a report by us from Maharashtra India, an increase in severe acute malnutrition(SAM) and occurrence of neural tube defects was observed a year after pandemic. 2 On this backdrop, it is important that one takes a critical view of anthropometric measurements in children to detect stunting, wasting, under weight and obesity. Weight for height below -2SD,height for age below -2SD,and weight for age below -2SD on WHO growth charts is used to detect wasting, stunting and underweight respectively.