711 Original Research Communications-general Incremental growth tables: supplementary to previously published charts1-3 Richard N Baumgartner, PhD, Alex F Roche, MD, PhD, and John H Himes, PhD ABSTRACf Serial data from 818 normal white American children from the Fels Longitudinal Study have been used to oonstruct tables of 6-mo increments for weight (0 to 18 yr), stature (3.0 to 18 yr), head circumference, and recumbent length (0 to 3 yr). The tables supplement previously published incremental growth charts. The attained growth status of these children has been shown to be very close to that displayed in the National Center for Health Statisties tables at all ages, and secular trends in the data have been shown to be minimal. Consequently, the present tables should bewiciely applicable for some time in the future. Gu deines for the use of the tables and interpretation of findings are presented. Am J Cliii Nuir 1986:43:711-722. KEY WORDS Growth, increment, stature recumbent length, weight Introduction Conventional growth tables provide refer- ence data for evaluating the attained status of children for growth-related variables at a given age and are useful for cross-sectional studies of populations, in particular in screening for variations from normal nutritional status (1). Although they also are useful as screening tools in a clinical context, there is often a need to assess short-term changes in the growth rate of a child in relation to disease or therapy. Therefore, reference data for increments in growth-related variables during specified age intervals are desirable. Serial data for an in- dividual may be compared to conventional tables for attained growth (distance tables), but this comparison will lack sensitivity and the interpretation of serial differences between ex- pected and observed values will be confounded during the latter part of infancy and during pubescence when rapid changes in growth rate occur at ages that differ among individuals. Tabulated percentiles for growth increments for a reference population provide clinicians with a more sensitive means of assessing changes in the growth rates of patients, of de- tecting abnormal growth, and of evaluating the effects of therapy on growth rates. Incremental growth charts, providing ap- propriate reference curves for United States children, were published in 1980(2). The data for these charts were drawn from the Fels Longitudinal Study and were shown to agree with national data (3) for means and distri- butions of growth status at all ages and to be free of confounding seasonal and secular ef- fects. Subsequent to the publication of these increment charts, there has been substantial demand for corresponding reference tables of ‘From Fels Research Institute (RB, AR), Division of Human Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Wright State University School of Medicine, Ydlow Springs, OH and Department of Health and Nutrition Scieis (JH) Brooklyn College, Qty University Of New Yert Brooklyn, NY. 2Supportcd by Grant HD-12252 from the National In- stitute of Health, Bethesda, MD. 3Address reprint requests to: Richard N Baumprtner, Division of Human Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Wright State University School of Medicine, 1005 Xenia Avenue, Yellow Springs, OH 45387. Received August 9, 1985. Accepted for publication November 26, 1985. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 43: MAY 1986, pp 711-722. Printed in USA 01986 American Society for Clinical Nutrition by guest on June 11, 2013 ajcn.nutrition.org Downloaded from