Though Salt Lake City children come in all shapes and sizes and grow at widely varying rates, sometimes an extremely low weight indicates a harmful medical condition called ‘failure to thrive.’
This general term is used for children who weigh significantly less than other healthy Salt Lake City kids their age.
According to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, in cases of children with failure to thrive the rate of weight and height gain ‘may be more important than actual measurements.’ 1
Salt Lake City children in the ‘failure to thrive’ category weigh less than the 3rd percentile and their weight is significantly lower than what is considered healthy for their height.
Additionally, Salt Lake City kids with failure to thrive usually have delayed development in important physical, social, and emotional skills.
In Utah, failure to thrive can be caused by numerous factors, both physically and environmentally. Salt Lake City parents who are concerned about their child’s development should speak with their pediatrician, even if no specific medical symptoms are detected.
Melanie Green
Draper, Utah 84043
(801) 272-5355 Draper
1‘What Is Failure To Thrive?,” Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, http://www.hopkinschildrens.org/tpl_rlinks_nav1up.aspx?id=5112, accessed on October 15, 2011
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