title: Etiology of growth failure in a clinic population.
abstract: To identify the basis of growth failure, the background of preschool children whose growth fell below 97 per cent of their peers was compared with that of those who demonstrated a higher level of growth achievement. A questionnaire administered at the home of each child documented living conditions, health history, and other family characteristics. Families of the growth-retarded children had higher income, higher credit payments, and used higher dollar values of Food Stamps. A greater percentage of the growth-retarded children were low-birth-weight infants. However, neither low birth weight nor any other one factor consistently predicted poor growth achievement. The need for adequate growth standards to correctly diagnose achievement remains a primary need in the field of nutritional assessment.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001724:Birth Weight; D044383:Black People; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D002668:Child Rearing; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D008824:Michigan; D011247:Pregnancy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American