title: Standards for human growth--their construction and use.
abstract: Human growth charts are used in the RSA to monitor the growth of groups of children and of individuals. Ignorance of their construction leads to misunderstandings of their correct application. The construction and use of growth charts is reviewed by explaining how growth may be investigated through cross-sectional, longitudinal and mixed-longitudinal studies and the problems involved in using the subsequent data. The intellectual confusion brought about by describing such charts as 'standards' and how the most appropriate chart for South Africa should be defined is also discussed. Finally, the priorities for research in this field are outlined.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001699:Biometry; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006128:Growth; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012015:Reference Standards; D013019:South Africa; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States