The application of accurate measurement techniques and measuring tools and the use of standard postures are necessary to accurately measure height and to keep the height measurement error within 3 mm as much as possible so that the height data can be used to evaluate the child’s height and to correctly calculate the child’s growth rate during the interval between measurements. Otherwise, it is not uncommon for incorrect measurements to cause a height measurement error of 3-4 cm.
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Children under 3 years of age are difficult to measure accurately in the standing position and are usually measured in the lying position using a standard measuring bed or a portable measuring board. The child is measured by removing shoes, socks and hat, wearing only a single trouser, lying on his back on the middle line of the bottom plate of the measuring bed.
The person taking the measurement fixes the child’s head with his or her hands so that the top of the head is in close contact with the headboard. The other measurer stands on the right side of the child, holds both knees with the left hand, and makes the two lower limbs close together against the measurement bed, while the right hand moves the footboard so that it is close to the heels of both feet, and reads the number shown at the footboard.
Read the number shown at the footboard. The measurement should be done skillfully and quickly. The child’s head should not be tilted, the legs should not leave the measuring board, and the soles of the feet should be at right angles to the measuring board during the measurement. Guo Qinghua, Department of Endocrinology, Beijing 301 Hospital, China 3
Children and adolescents over the age of 3 years are measured in a standing position, using a vertical height meter or a standing ruler fixed to the wall. Before measurement, remove shoes, socks and hat, lean back against the height meter column or wall, with heels, hips and shoulders in contact with the column or wall.
Contact with the column or wall, take an upright posture, eyes level, hands hanging naturally, heels close together, toes separated by about 45
The heels are close together and the toes are separated by an angle of about 45 degrees. The measureer gently slides the headboard down and reads to an accuracy of 1 mm when the bottom of the board touches the top of the head. Due to the activity and weight pressure, the disc thins, the arch becomes shallow, and the curvature of the spine increases, the height fluctuates and changes during the day, usually the highest in the morning. Therefore, it is recommended to measure height in the morning or in the morning to reduce the measurement error caused by the fluctuation of height during the day.