Weight-for-length

Weight-for-length is expressed as a percentile, and is an indicator of an individual's proportionality.

The WHO recommends cutoff values of 2 standard deviations (2.3rd and 97.7th percentiles). The WHO charts available on the CDC website label these values as the 2nd and 98th percentiles:

• Weight-for-length <2nd percentile indicates low weight-for-length
• Weight-for-length >98th percentile indicates high weight-for-length

Some organizations and institutions may have other cutoff values (e.g., outside the 5-10th or 90-95th percentiles) to trigger further assessment.

Changes in percentile channels (for example a sudden decrease from the 50th to the 10th percentile or increase from the 50th to the 95th percentile) can also indicate nutritional risk.