Child Head Circumference
Protocol Id
020501
Description Measurement for children from birth to 36 months of age. The child may need to
of Protocol be held by the parent or a health professional while the examiner uses a tape
measure to measure the child’s head.
Specific
None
Instructions
Protocol
Text
There are several overarching, critical issues for high-quality data collection of
anthropometric measures that optimize the data in gene-environment etiologic
research. These issues include: (1) the need for training (and retraining) of study
staff in anthropometric data collection; (2) duplicate collection of measurements,
especially under field conditions; (3) use of more than one person for proper
collection of measurements where required; (4) accurate recording of the
protocols and the measurement units of data collection; and (5) use of required
and properly calibrated equipment.
Under usual field conditions, for reliability, the PhenX Anthropometrics Working
Group suggests that the measurements are taken in duplicate. A third
measurement should be taken if the first two measurements differed by >1.0 cm
(1/4"). If it is necessary to take a third measurement, the two closest
measurements are averaged. Should the third measurement fall equally between
the first two measurements, all three should be averaged.
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The following protocol is part of an examination survey. The National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has collected head circumference for
infants and children. The ages of the participants have varied. NHANES 1999 to
2008 collected head circumference on infants from birth to 6 months. Depending
on the NHANES cycle, administrative factors may have resulted in different age
groups measured. The PhenX Anthropometrics Working Group recommends that
this protocol also be used on participants from birth to 36 months.
The circumference of the head is measured on children from birth through 36
months of age. Follow the steps below to obtain the head circumference
measurement:
1. Position of the study participant: Instruct the parent (or guardian) to stand
holding the child over the parent’s left shoulder or else sit with the child in the
parent’s lap. Ask the parent to remove hair ornaments or braids that might
interfere with the measurement.
2. Taking the measurement: Place the head circumference tape around the child’s
head so that the tape lies: across the frontal bones of the skull; slightly above the
eyebrows; perpendicular to the long axis of the face; above the ears; and over the
occipital prominence at the back of the head (Exhibit 1). Move the tape up and
down over the back of the head to locate the maximal circumference. Tighten the
insertion tape so that it fits snugly around the head and compresses the hair and
underlying soft tissues. Measure the circumference to the nearest 0.1 cm.
3. Record the result. Remove the head circumference tape.
Exhibit 1. Head circumference tape position
Interpretation of findings:
Current growth charts, including head circumference, can be found on the National
Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Selection
Rationale
The child head circumference protocol from the NHANES 2007-08 was selected as
best practice methodology and most widely used protocol to assess child growth
and development.
Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health
Statistics (NCHS). (2007-2008). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Anthropometrics Procedure Manual. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Language
English, Spanish
Participant
Infants from birth to 36 months of age
Personnel
and
Training
Required
Technicians who have experience working with young children and who should be
trained in the basic techniques of anthropometric measurements.
Equipment
Needs
Flexible measurement tape
Standards
Standard
Name
ID
Common Data Elements (CDE)
Child Head
Circumference Value
2793421 CDE Browser
Logical Observation Identifiers
Names and Codes (LOINC)
PhenX - child head
circum protocol
62406-4 LOINC
General
References
None
Protocol
Type
Physical Measurement
Derived
Variables
None
Source
Requiremen Requirement Category
ts
Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual
Required
No
Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual
Major equipment
No
This measure requires a specialized measurement device that may not
be readily available in every setting where genome wide association
studies are being conducted. Examples of specialized equipment are
DEXA, Echocardiography, and Spirometry
Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection
No
This protocol requires that blood, urine, etc. be collected from the
study participants.
Specialized training
This measure requires staff training in the protocol methodology
and/or in the conduct of the data analysis.
No