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What is PedNSS/PNSS? - What is PedNSS?
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When any of these measures are combined with age, the result is an anthropometric index (e.g. weight-for-age). Body Mass Index (BMI) is an anthropometric index of weight and height that is defined as body weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (wt/ht2). BMI is the commonly accepted index for classifying adiposity in adults and it is recommended for use with children and adolescents over 2 years of age. BMI-for-age is used in place of weight-for-stature to identify children who are underweight, at risk of overweight, and overweight. Anthropometric indices defined by age-and gender- specific percentile cutoff values using the CDC 2000 growth charts are used to assess the nutritional status of children and identify those that are of short stature, underweight, at risk of overweight and overweight.
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Anemia, a low hemoglobin concentration or low hematocrit
level, is defined by age-and gender specific cutoff values on the 5th percentile
from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for a healthy
population (CDC, 1998) [link to MMWR for values]. Anemia is routinely assessed
in children as an indicator of iron deficiency, the most common micronutrient
deficiency.
A description and rationale for collecting each health indicator is discussed in
the section on
PedNSS Health
Indicators.
Data is collected at the clinic level then aggregated at the state level and submitted to CDC for analysis.
PedNSS Data Flow Chart
When multiple visit records are submitted for a child during the reporting period, CDC creates a unique child record following specific selection criteria that may contain some data from all available records. The CDC then calculates the nutrition-related indices and sends each contributor agency a series of annual tables that summarize the nutritional status and infant feeding practices by age of child and race/ethnicity. The national PedNSS tables are included in the Pediatric Data Tables section.
How is the unique child record created?
CDC evaluates the completeness and quality of the data submitted from contributors and provides them with a data quality report. The report details missing and miscoded data, Biologically Implausible Values (BIVs) as well as other data quality problems. In addition, data quality parameters have been developed for each data item based on a variety of statistical measures including expected data distributions, standard deviation, and z-scores. Contributor data must meet specific data quality and completeness criteria to be included in the national PedNSS report.
PedNSS is a public health surveillance system based on data routinely collected from several federally funded public health programs serving low-income children. Contributors voluntarily participate in PedNSS. Not all contributors for a specific public health program participate in PedNSS. For example, not all states, U.S. territories, and tribal agencies that provide WIC services participate in PedNSS. Therefore, the national PedNSS report is not representative of all WIC programs. Similarly, PedNSS is not representative of all low-income children or children in the general population. It is representative of the population served by the public health program submitting the surveillance data. It is essential data for use in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the nutritional status of children served by a specific public health program.