Height, weight and menarcheal age of schoolgirls in Oslo--an update

Every fifth year since 1920 measurements of height and weight of the school-children in Oslo have been centrally processed. We present updates obtained for girls in 1980 and 1985, and in addition results on menarche from 1985. The slow but steady post-war increase in height seems to approach a plateau. For body weight the downward post-war trend has been reversed. Menarcheal age was close to the stable level of about 13.3 years observed since 1950. Regression analyses indicate a co-variation of weight development and menarche. Differences in height between city areas were small, while weight was clearly highest and menarcheal age clearly lowest in areas with the lowest average income.