title: Variability in growth tracking is associated with body mass index at 17 years of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Variability in individual growth tracking and its association with body mass index (BMI) in later life remains insufficiently explored. Our aim was to investigate growth tracking variabilities from birth up to the end of growth at 17 years of age and their relationship to BMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from the personal health records of 1492 healthy children - 762 boys and 730 girls - who were born full term in 1990 in the city and surrounding villages of Vilnius in Lithuania. The analysis of growth tracking was performed using two methods: tracing the main percentiles and the changes in standard deviation scores for height and BMI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the boys and girls changed one growth track for height and BMI. However, girls from birth to two years of age and 11-17 years of age were the most likely to change two growth tracks for the growth indices. Children who were underweight at 17 years of age changed significantly more BMI tracks during the first two years of life (2.19 ± 1.21) than overweight and obese 17-year-olds (1.75 ± 1.14).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study of 1492 healthy children at 17 years of age showed that great individual variability in the growth tracking of body mass index in early life was associated with being underweight at 17 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Andrej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suchomlinov
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Janina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tutkuviene
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D057238:Growth Charts; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Body mass index; Growth tracking; Overweight; Percentile; Underweight