Height, weight, height velocity and weight velocity in school-age Bangkok children

Abstract

Cross-sectional studies of height and weight of school children aged 6-18 years from 60 schools in Bangkok were performed. A total of 72,751 children 35,871 boys and 36,880 girls, were calculated in different percentiles (P3, P10, P25, P50, P75, P90 and P97). The height, weight, height velocity and weight velocity were calculated in different percentiles. Comparison of median of height in boys and girls revealed, that boys were taller than girls until the age of 7 years 6 months, then girls were taller until the age of 13 years 9 months, when boys again were taller than girls until the age of 18. In weight, boys were heavier than girls until the age of 8, then girls were heavier than boys until the age of 14 years 9 months, when boys were heavier than girls until the age of 18. The peak height velocity in girls was 11 years 7 months and in boys was 13 years 6 months, the peak height velocity in girls was 2 years earlier than boys. The same was for peak weight velocity. In girls it was at 12 years of age and in boys it occurred at 14 years of age. Girls accelerated about 2 years earlier than boys. In both boys and girls the peak height velocity was earlier than the peak weight velocity, the time differences being 6 months and 3 months respectively. Regarding yearly gain in height and weight in boys and girls at different percentiles, it was found that for every parmeter (Height, weight, height velocity and weight velocity), the 97th percentile hits peak growth velocity earlier than the 90th percentile by about 6 months, the 90th percentile hits peak growth velocity earlier than the 75th percentile by about 6 months, and so on. © 1980 Oxford University Press.