[The new growth norm of Czech and Slovakian children and adolescents]

This paper introduces the new growth values of body height and body weight of the Czech and Slovak children and youths aging 1 1/2 to 18 years. This investigation was carried out during 1987-1988 on the whole territory of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic and includes 47,099 probands. Comparing the older and recent Czech and Slovak body height and body weight data the effects of long-termed and short-termed secular trends are seen. The present-day Slovak children are equal or somewhat taller than the Czech ones. During the period of adolescence they differ, however, from the Czech children. Similar observations are seen in the boys concerning the body weight. The Slovak girls are on the average somewhat lighter than the Czech girls already from the age of nine years onward. The counte poise between Czech and Slovak children and youths are most likely due to the improvement of the nutritional conditions in the Slovak population since the end of World War II. The mean intersexual differences at the end of the adolescent period in Czechs as well as in Slovaks come to 11-12 cm in body height and 12-13 kg in body weight.