A new growth anthropometric reference was published recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a division of United States Department of Health and Human Services, to replace the widely used 1977 National Center for Health Statistics reference, which was recommended for international use by the World Health Organization and adopted by the Ministry of Health of Brazil. The objective of this review is to discuss the presuppositions that led to the replacement of the 1977 National Center for Health Statistics reference, as well as the changes which were proceeded and its implications.
anthropometry; international growth reference; growth curves; nutritional assessment