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In many developed countries, every tenth newborn weighs more than 9 lbs 15 oz and suffers from fetal macrosomia. This is a medical condition when a new born baby has disproportionally large body parts or organs which could potentially injure the baby during birth or increase their risk of becoming obese or developing Type 2 diabetes in the future. Babies with overweight mothers or mothers with gestational diabetes are more likely to develop fetal macrosomia because they receive too much glucose and produce too much insulin which results in the development of fatty tissue.
The baby’s elevated insulin production causes a region of the brain responsible for feelings of fullness to not completely develop. Consequently, the individual’s will face frequent hunger pangs throughout their life which increase their risk of diabetes and obesity. It’s difficult to diagnose fetal macrosomia in the womb because conclusions about the fetal’s weight cannot be made from an ultrasound image. To receive a more reliable diagnosis besides regular weight measurements, the mother's girth and symphysis fundal height are essential.

• Today in many western industrialized countries, every tenth newborn suffers from fetal macrosomia.
• Indications of fetal macrosomia include a mother's girth of more than 43 inches and a symphysis fundal height of more than 15 3/4 inches in the 40th week of pregnancy.

If the patient is unable to stand for their height measurement because they’re bed ridden or have a serious curvature of the spine, then their height is estimated based on their knee height. This estimation is measured while the patient is seated or lying down because the knee and heel joints must be placed at 90 degrees from the thigh. To calculate the patient’s body height, measure the distance from the sole of the foot to the top of the knee and use the following formula:

For men:
Height (cm) = [1.94 × knee height (cm)] – [0.14 × age (years)] + 78.31
For women:
Height (cm) = [1.85 × knee height (cm)] – [0.21 × age (years)] + 82.21

Overweight and obesity have become significant subjects in today’s healthcare because the more fat the body accumulates the higher chance of suffering from heart disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke and high blood pressure.

Distinguishing between apple-shaped and pear-shaped bodies is vital because this demonstrates where most of the fat is deposited within the body. Individuals who tend to store fat around the waist (apple-shaped bodies) are at a greater health risk than those who accumulate fat around the hips, thighs, and butt (pear-shaped bodies). Thus, these are substantial reasons for the growing need of measuring tapes.