title: [Growth of school children in Croatia in the last decade of the second millennium].
abstract: The objective of this paper is to present the somatic growth of school children and adolescents in Croatia in the early eighties of the 20th century. The cross-sectional study performed throughout Croatia over 4 years (1980-84) was organized by the Andrija Stampar School of Public Health. The survey covered a total of 36,725 boys and 36,624 girls aged 6-19 years in 37 different localities from all geographic regions of Croatia. Tables and curves of conventional centiles for height and weight of boys and girls according to one-year age groups were constructed. Weight is also presented in relation to height, according to the range of 2 cm. Results have shown that median height in both genders increased up to the age of 18. However, in girls the increase after the age of 16 was minimal. Mean weight increased up to the age of 18 in girls, and up to the age of 19 in boys. As compared to the peers in other countries, Croatian school children are among the "taller" within European population. It seems that population of Croatian school children did not reach their genetic growth potential. In following decades, positive secular changes might be expected.
authors.affiliation: Skola narodnog zdravija Andrija Stampar Medicinskog fakulteta Sveucilista u Zagrebu.
authors.forename: Zivka
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Prebeg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D017523:Croatia; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male