Height Velocity Percentiles in Indian Children Aged 5-17 Years

ABSTRACT

Objective: To assess height velocity and develop height velocitypercentiles in 5-17-year-old Indian children; and to study themagnitude and age at peak height velocity.Design: Mixed longitudinal study.Setting: Private schools at Pune and Delhi.Participants/patients 2949 children (1681 boys) belonging toaffluent class aged 5-17 years (1473-Pune, 1476-Delhi).Methods: Annual height and weight measurements from 2007 to2013. Total 13214 height velocity measurements (7724 on boys).Outcome Measures: Height velocity percentiles (3rd, 10th, 25th,50th, 75th, 90th and 97th) constructed using LMS chart maker.Results: Age- and gender-specific height velocity percentileswere generated. Median height velocity in girls decreased from 5to 8 years, increased to a peak of 6.6 cm at 10.5 years and thendeclined to 0.3 cm at 17.5 years. In boys, median height velocityreduced till 10.5, increased to a peak of 6.8 cms at 13.5 years andthen declined to 1cm by 18 years.Conclusions: Height velocity percentiles in 5-17-year-old urbanIndian children were constructed