Training sessions on health guidelines for children’s growth have been held in Bermuda in collaboration with the Caribbean Public Health Agency.

The adoption of World Health Organisation child growth standards for Bermuda was described as “critical” by David Kendell, the director of the Department of Health, who said the evidence-based model would enable health workers to better identify when children were at risk of low nutrition or becoming overweight, and to intervene early.

He said the WHO charts marked a break from older models pegged to children’s populations in the United States, based off a predominantly formula-fed infant reference population.

Mr Kendell added: “The charts reflect the growth patterns of healthy infants and provide a more accurate picture of both under-nutrition and childhood obesity — two issues that can impact health throughout the life course.”