Kalle Hirvonen1. 1. University of Sussex, Department of Economics , Brighton BN1 9RH , UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Numerous recent studies measure catch-up growth by regressing adult or pre-adolescent height on early childhood height. Using simple statistical theory and data from a healthy and well-nourished population, this paper shows that these tests are uninformative about the extent of catch-up growth. The study also provides new empirical evidence on pubertal catch-up growth using longitudinal data for rural Tanzania. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The 1970 British Cohort Study is used to demonstrate the flaws in the recent literature using regression techniques to study catch-up growth. The data for the empirical analysis come from the Kagera Health and Development survey-a longitudinal study spanning two decades. The final sample includes 540 children whose heights are measured in early childhood and in adulthood. Catch-up growth is measured as the change in height-for-age z-score over time. RESULTS: The mean HAZ-score in the cohort improves from -1.86 in early childhood to -1.20 in adulthood. Without catch-up growth, children would have been 4.5-5 centimetres shorter adults. Graphical analysis shows that most of this catch-up growth takes place in puberty. CONCLUSION: Catch-up growth after early childhood is possible. Puberty seems to offer an opportunity window for recovery.
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Numerous recent studies measure catch-up growth by regressing adult or pre-adolescent height on early childhood height. Using simple statistical theory and data from a healthy and well-nourished population, this paper shows that these tests are uninformative about the extent of catch-up growth. The study also provides new empirical evidence on pubertal catch-up growth using longitudinal data for rural Tanzania. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The 1970 British Cohort Study is used to demonstrate the flaws in the recent literature using regression techniques to study catch-up growth. The data for the empirical analysis come from the Kagera Health and Development survey-a longitudinal study spanning two decades. The final sample includes 540 children whose heights are measured in early childhood and in adulthood. Catch-up growth is measured as the change in height-for-age z-score over time. RESULTS: The mean HAZ-score in the cohort improves from -1.86 in early childhood to -1.20 in adulthood. Without catch-up growth, children would have been 4.5-5 centimetres shorter adults. Graphical analysis shows that most of this catch-up growth takes place in puberty. CONCLUSION: Catch-up growth after early childhood is possible. Puberty seems to offer an opportunity window for recovery.
Authors: Rebecca Zhang; Eduardo A Undurraga; Wu Zeng; Victoria Reyes-García; Susan Tanner; William R Leonard; Jere R Behrman; Ricardo A Godoy Journal: Ann Hum Biol Date: 2016-06-29 Impact factor: 1.533