{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T00:51:34Z","timestamp":1760057494885,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,13]],"date-time":"2025-02-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1739404800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia","award":["RSP2025R235"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RSP2025R235"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Head circumference (HC) is a key indicator of growth and brain development in children, used to identify abnormalities like microcephaly and macrocephaly. While WHO growth standards are widely adopted, they may not account for regional variations due to genetic, environmental, and socio-economic factors. This study aimed to develop and validate national HC growth charts for Jordanian children aged 0\u20135 years and compare them with WHO standards. Method: This study analyzed 628,456 HC measurements from 250,276 Jordanian children (51.6% boys, 48.4% girls) aged 0\u20131800 days, using data from the Hakeem program. Only healthy children were included. HC measurements followed international guidelines, and data were analyzed using the Lambda\u2013Mu\u2013Sigma (LMS) statistical method. Percentiles were calculated, and growth patterns were compared with WHO standards. Results: National HC-for-age growth charts were developed for the 3rd, 15th, 50th, 85th, and 97th percentiles. Median percentiles for Jordanian children aligned with WHO standards, but the 3rd percentile was lower, particularly for girls after 840 days. The 97th percentile diverged after 240 days, with larger HC measurements observed in Jordanian children. Conclusions: This study provides the first validated HC growth charts for Jordanian children, addressing the limitations of international standards in reflecting regional variations. These charts offer clinicians and public health professionals a precise tool for assessing and monitoring growth, promoting better health outcomes in Jordanian children.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12020224","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,13]],"date-time":"2025-02-13T04:03:35Z","timestamp":1739419415000},"page":"224","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Development of Standardized National Head Circumference Growth Charts for Jordanian Children Aged 0\u20135 Years: A Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9831-7572","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Walid","family":"Al-Qerem","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman 11733, Jordan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0416-506X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anan","family":"Jarab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi 112612, United Arab Emirates"},{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ahmad","family":"Al-Azayzih","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan"},{"name":"Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 27272, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0745-178X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Judith","family":"Eberhardt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law, Teesside University, Borough Road, Middlesbrough TS1 3BX, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ruba","family":"Zumot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman 11733, Jordan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2382-5892","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fawaz","family":"Alasmari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3800-1220","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alaa","family":"Hammad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan, Amman 11733, Jordan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1486","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2005-2629","article-title":"The influence of head growth in fetal life, infancy, and childhood on intelligence at the ages of 4 and 8 years","volume":"118","author":"Gale","year":"2006","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1118","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuropsychologia.2003.11.022","article-title":"Head size and intelligence, learning, nutritional status and brain development: Head, IQ, learning, nutrition and brain","volume":"42","author":"Ivanovic","year":"2004","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.1055\/s-2002-36735","article-title":"Relationship between head circumference and brain volume in healthy normal toddlers, children, and adults","volume":"33","author":"Bartholomeusz","year":"2002","journal-title":"Neuropediatrics"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Guzik, A., Perenc, L., Dru\u017cbicki, M., and Podg\u00f3rska-Bednarz, J. 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