title: Notes on the statistics of growth standards.
abstract: The problems of constructing population standards for measurements such as height and age points such as menarche are discussed. Extreme centiles, such as the 3rd, estimated from a Gaussian distribution have a considerable imprecision, the amount of which is detailed. Non-parametric estimation, as usually used for weight, is compared with transformation to Gaussianity and thence parametric estimation. Regression standards are discussed, whereby the subject is compared with a relevant subsection of the population rather than all of it, and it is suggested that velocity of growth standards might be couched in these terms.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Clinical Research Centre, Northwick Park, Harrow.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Healy
mesh_terms: D001824:Body Constitution / Q000502:physiology; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D012016:Reference Values