A GROWTH VELOCITY STANDARD FOR CHINESE CHILDREN IN HONG KONG

Racial differences in the size of children make it questionable that a widely used Caucasian velocity reference standard can be used for Chinese children. In the present study, the growth velocity in 935 healthy Chinese children aged 4-6 was examined, showing that height velocity was significantly lower than Tanner’s references. With the Caucasian velocity standard, Chinese children might be misinterpreted as growing abnormally slowly. In order to detect growth and endocrine disorders of childhood and adolescence, a Chinese growth velocity standard for children of 0 to 18 years must be established.