Appropriateness of parent-specific stature adjustment for US black children.

The appropriateness for US black children of a new method that considers parental statures when evaluating a child's length or stature is discussed. Although there are small differences in the average growth of blacks and whites, it is suggested that a single growth standard (the National Center for Health Statistics percentiles) is appropriate for the evaluation of length and stature of black children. Recent national data show no important differences between mean statures of black and white adults that would render the parent-specific method inappropriate for US blacks. Finally, there is no convincing evidence for differences between blacks and whites in parent-child relationships for stature. It is concluded that the new method is appropriate for US black children, and its use is recommended as an aid in determining the nature of statural growth problems.