Head circumference in children and adolescents in Germany

The head circumference (HC) is one of the most important anthropometric parameters in childhood and adolescence to screen for abnormal development of the brain. The Robert Koch-Institute conducted the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS study) from 2003 to 2006. Occipitofrontal circumference (OCF) was measured in more than 17,000 children and adolescents following standardized study procedures, and reference curves for OCF, which are presented here, were estimated using statistical modeling methods. Over the complete age range, boys have larger OCF's than girls. OCF growth is largest in the first year of life and then decreases considerably. Before puberty, the annual OCF growth increases again. Adult OCF is reached at age 16 years in girls, while in boys, OCF growth continues until the end of the observed age range (18.0 years). At that age, median OCF is 55 cm among girls and 57 cm among boys. From KiGGS, valid data is available for the assessment of OCF in children and adolescents in Germany. Apart from the tabulated percentiles, each OCF percentile can be calculated for the entire age range from infancy to young adulthood.