Background: There is extensive evidence that rapid infant weight gain increases the risk of childhood obesity, but this is normally based on childhood body mass index (BMI) only and whether or not this is because infants with rapid weight gain accrue greater fat mass is unknown.
Read MoreGrowth measurements are largely uninterpretable without comparison to a growth chart. Consequently, the characteristics of a growth chart become an integral component of the interpretation of growth measurements. The concepts of optimal growth and tempo are well recognised by auxologists, yet their implications for interpretation of growth measurements remain problematic.
Read MoreAim: To develop a guideline for preventive child healthcare professionals in order to improve early detection of pathological disorders associated with short stature (or growth faltering) or tall stature (or accelerated growth).
Read MoreReference centile curves show the distribution of a measurement as it changes according to some covariate, often age. The LMS method summarizes the changing distribution by three curves representing the median, coefficient of variation and skewness, the latter expressed as a Box-Cox power.
Read MoreObjective: To develop an internationally acceptable definition of child overweight and obesity, specifying the measurement, the reference population, and the age and sex specific cut off points.
Read MoreBackground: Growth curve analysis is a statistical issue in life course epidemi- ology. Height in puberty involves a growth spurt, the timing and intensity of which varies between individuals. Such data can be summarized with individual Preece–Baines (PB) curves, and their five parameters then related to earlier exposures or later outcomes. But it involves fitting many curves
Read MoreGrowth reference centile charts are widely used in child health to assess weight, height and other age-varying measure- ments. The centiles are easy to construct from reference data, using the LMS method or GAMLSS (Generalised Additive Models for Location Scale and Shape). However, there is as yet no clear guidance on how to design such studies, and in particular how many reference data to collect, and this has led to study sizes varying widely.
Read MoreChildhood obesity rates have increased fourfold in the last three decades. Growth dynamics in infancy and childhood highlight early developmental processes driving the risk of increasing adiposity. Thus, it is important to characterize early life growth and identify its correlates and outcomes.
Read MoreOne approach to modelling nonlinear longitudinal data is to fit Super Imposition by Translation and Rotation (SITAR) models. Using data from the paediatric bone mineral accrual study (PBMAS, 1991-2017) we have shown that during adolescence, bone development is driven by muscle development.
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Background: There is extensive evidence that rapid infant weight gain increases the risk of childhood obesity, but this is normally based on childhood body mass index (BMI) only and whether or not this is because infants with rapid weight gain accrue greater fat mass is unknown.
Read More