title: Physical growth of infants 7 to 13 months of age: results from a national survey.
abstract: This study considers measurements of weight, recumbent length, head circumference, triceps skinfold, and arm circumference of 1,100 infants aged 7 to 13 months from a cross-sectional sample representative of the U.S. infant population. Based on these data, smoothed percentiles of weight, recumbent length, head circumference, triceps skinfold, and arm circumference by sex and age (in months) and weight for recumbent length were calculated. Compared with the percentile values from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS; Hamill et al., 1977, DHEW Publ. No. PHS 78-1650), percentile values from the 1984 Ross Laboratories Infant Nutrition Survey (RNS) for weight, recumbent length, and weight for recumbent length tended to be smaller (p less than .05). We attribute these variations to differences in sampling design and conclude that they are not of sufficient magnitude to warrant new growth charts. Smoothed percentiles for triceps skinfold and arm circumference presented herein are new reference values that can be used for assessment of the nutritional and growth status of older infants.
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D044383:Black People; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D014481:United States; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American