Longitudinal Growth During Infancy and Childhood in Children from Shanghai: Predictors and Consequences of the Age at Onset of the Childhood Phase of Growth

摘要

The age at onset of the childhood phase of growth, normally occurring between 6 and 12 mo, is recognized to be an important time during postnatal human development. The aims of this present work were to identify predictors for the age at onset of the childhood phase of growth. Furthermore, this work aimed to examine the consequences that this timing would have on the subsequent heights of 1720 Shanghai children. The mean age of the infants at onset of the childhood phase of growth was 11.2 mo in boys and 10.7 mo in girls. Compared with their Swedish counterparts, these means occurred 1.3 mo later in boys and 1.4 mo later in girls. Both age at onset of the childhood phase of growth and length at 6 mo of age significantly (p p p Abbreviations: ICP, infancy-childhood-puberty; BMI, body mass index