Freeman, Jenny Vanessa; (1995) The production of growth reference data for stature and weight for British children, 1990. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The current UK stature and weight references were first published in 1966 and have been used ever since despite concern that they may not adequately describe the growth of present-day British children. In addition, weight is a poor indicator of fatness/obesity, and there is not a corresponding set of reference curves to assess obesity. In adults. Body Mass Index (BMI; i.e. weight/height2) is popular, but its use in children has only developed recently. Using current data new reference curves of stature, weight and BMI have been estimated from birth to 23 years for children in 1990. The great majority of the data are nationally representative. The curves were derived using Cole's LMS method, which adjusts the data distribution for skewness and allows individual measurements to be expressed as exact centiles or standard deviation scores. Use of the curves is aided by the provision of nine centiles, where the two extremes identify the smallest and largest 0.4 percent. These new curves differ from those currently used at key ages for both stature and weight. In view of this, the concerns expressed about the current curves, and the lack of a corresponding reference for obesity, it is proposed that these new curves be adopted as the UK reference. The second section of the thesis is concerned with individual longitudinal growth modelling. Two non-linear curves were compared; the Preece-Baines model III and the Jolicoeur-Pontier-Pernin-Sempe model. The JPPS model gave a better fit, and was used to estimate ages at take-off and PHV, and PHV. The parameter pairs (C1, D1), (C2, D2) and (C3, D3) had maximum influence during early, mid and late childhood respectively. Adult stature was independent of the timing and size of the pubertal growth spurt. JPPS parameter D3 was strongly related though not identical to PHV and this relationship estimated.

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