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Clinical growth standards for Irish children
H M Hoey1, J M Tanner, L A Cox
1Department of Paediatrics, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Insights
Irish children experience a later pubertal growth spurt compared to the UK and US, but reach similar final adult heights and weights. Growth charts were developed for clinical use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Human Growth and Development
- Public Health Nutrition
Background:
- Understanding childhood growth patterns is crucial for identifying developmental deviations and ensuring optimal health outcomes.
- Previous studies have indicated variations in growth trajectories across different populations, necessitating country-specific growth references.
- Assessing anthropometric data in children provides insights into nutritional status and potential public health concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish contemporary growth standards for Irish children and adolescents.
- To compare the growth patterns of Irish children with those of the United Kingdom and the United States.
- To develop clinically applicable, tempo-conditional growth charts for longitudinal monitoring.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 3,509 Irish children aged 5–19 years, measuring height and weight.
- Comparison of anthropometric data with international references (UK, US).
- Construction of longitudinal tempo-conditional growth standards using Irish data and existing longitudinal studies.
Main Results:
- Irish children exhibit a significantly later pubertal growth spurt compared to UK and US children.
- Despite differences in pubertal timing, final adult height and weight are comparable to international standards.
- Urban children and those from higher socioeconomic groups are taller during childhood but achieve similar final adult stature.
- Developed growth charts are similar to UK standards but enhanced with color for improved clinical utility.
Conclusions:
- Irish children's growth patterns, particularly pubertal timing, differ from UK and US counterparts.
- The developed tempo-conditional growth charts offer a valuable tool for monitoring child growth in Ireland.
- These charts facilitate early identification of growth abnormalities and support clinical decision-making.
Abstract:
A cross-sectional study, measuring height and weight, was performed on a representative sample of 3,509 Irish children aged from 5 to 19 years inclusive. Comparison with other countries showed a significantly later pubertal growth spurt than either the U.K. or the U.S. However, the final adult height and weight are similar to other countries as in the weight-for-height of children aged 5 to 9 years. The urban children are taller than the rural and the higher socio-economic groups are taller than the lower at all ages, but all achieved the same final adult height. Longitudinal tempo-conditional growth standards were constructed based on the Irish cross-sectional and menarche data together with all the available information from longitudinal studies. These charts are similar to those of the U.K., but the use of colours allows more information to be put on the charts, thus making them more suitable for clinical use.