Growth standards for blacks: current status.

Growth standards specific to black boys and girls are necessary because genetically determined patterns of growth in black children are significantly different from those of white children. Such standards have only recently become available, and they need further refinement. The required improvements include: (1) adjusting the standards to reflect the range of variation in growth of middle-to-upper income blacks; (2) expanding the lower age range of the standards to include children of preschool age; and (3) periodic revaluation and reformulation of the standards to keep them current with secular increases in size and maturity among black children.