Monitoring the growth dynamics of somatic traits based on a semi-longitudinal study

Abstract

Possibilities of conducting longitudinal human growth studies are very limited, since it is necessary to monitor the probands for a long time. Another problem can be a loss of data currency, and the small size of the final sample. The solution can be a follow-up semi-longitudinal observation. This research is drawn up as a short longitudinal monitoring of 1925 children (990 boys, 935 girls), aged 6–15 years, at 20 elementary schools in four regions of the Czech Republic, which has been conducted at the same time. Data of repeatedly examined probands of a wide age range were acquired in a short time period. With the help of a linear regression model with mixed effect, the growth velocity curves of 12 somatic traits have been obtained. The timing, intensity and duration of separate growth spurts have been observed, as well as the mutual location of both points of growth velocity, local maxima and minima, and points of the maximal acceleration and deceleration. The results demonstrate that the velocity of characters with variable growth dynamics (skin-fold thicknesses, circumferences of limbs) – contrary to characters with regular growth velocity – have a higher number of partial growth spurts and an opposite course. In the period of separate growth velocity, peaks of somatic characters with regular growth dynamics reach points of partial local minima. In comparison to previous longitudinal studies of body height growth dynamics, the shift of both the beginning and the peak of boys’ and girls’ pubertal spurt, to a lower age can be found.