Prediction of Ultimate Stature

Abstract

As shown in Chapter 1, it has not been possible to follow all the children to full adult stature. Table 11.1 indicates the amount of residual growth in height that could be expected when the children were last seen. This was estimated very approximately on the basis of the growth over the last year of observation, but it could not be reliably assumed that growth over the ensuing year would follow the same velocity trend. Nevertheless, such error introduced in analysis of ultimate stature would be small, and result in a slight underestimation. No children whose growth rate over the preceding year had exceeded 3.0 cm were included in working out centile distributions of ultimate height. These centiles were shown in Chapter 2. The findings of this study have been analysed in an attempt to determine the best indices for predicting ultimate stature.