In a normal average infant, the percentage increase in body length, compared to that at birth, at the age of 1 year is:

Appeared in: ESIC Nursing Officer -2019 (Shift -1)

Explanation

A healthy, full-term infant's length increases by about 50% during the first year of life.
The average length at birth is approximately 50 cm.
By one year of age, the average length increases to about 75 cm.
The absolute increase in length is 25 cm (75 cm - 50 cm).
The percentage increase is calculated as (25 cm increase / 50 cm birth length) × 100, which equals 50%.

Option A: A 10% increase in length is far too low for a healthy infant's first year and would indicate severe growth failure or failure to thrive.
Option B: This is a common error. The infant's approximate length at one year is 75 cm, but this is the absolute measurement, not the percentage increase from birth.
Option D: A 20% increase in length is significantly below the normal growth curve for the first year and would be a cause for concern, suggesting potential health or nutritional issues.

Visual 1: WHO Growth Chart for Length-for-Age. This chart would visually demonstrate the steep curve of growth during the first 12 months, helping to contextualize the 50% increase.
Visual 2: Infographic. An infographic showing a newborn silhouette next to a one-year-old silhouette with labels for 50 cm and 75 cm, and an arrow indicating a '50% Increase'.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Infant Growth Milestones (Length) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Monitoring an infant's length is a fundamental nursing responsibility to assess nutritional status and overall health. It is a key component of anthropometric measurements.
A deviation from the expected growth curve (e.g., a much lower percentage increase) is a red flag for conditions like failure to thrive, malnutrition, or underlying genetic or endocrine disorders, requiring further investigation and intervention.
What if? If an infant was born prematurely with a length of 45 cm, a 50% increase would mean they should reach approximately 67.5 cm by their first corrected birthday. Nurses must adjust expectations for premature infants based on corrected age.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key information required: the 'percentage increase' in 'body length' from 'birth' to '1 year'.
Recall the standard anthropometric values for an average infant. The average birth length is about 50 cm.
Recall the average length at one year, which is about 75 cm.
Calculate the absolute increase: 75 cm - 50 cm = 25 cm.
Calculate the percentage increase: (Absolute Increase / Original Value) × 100. So, (25 / 50) × 100 = 50%.
Compare your calculated answer (50%) with the given options and select the correct one. Be careful not to confuse the final length (75 cm) with the percentage increase (50%).

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Infant Growth Milestones (Length)
Stem keywords: infant, body length, 1 year, percentage increase, birth
Lead-in keywords: is
Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.

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Practise the full ESIC Nursing Officer -2019 (Shift -1)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.