Methods in Human Growth Research

In order to gain an understanding of the dynamics of human individual and average growth patterns it is essential that the right methods are selected. There are a variety of methods available to analyse individual growth patterns, to estimate variation in different growth measures in populations and to relate genetic and environmental factors to individual and average growth. This volume provides an overview of modern techniques for the assessment and collection of growth data and methods of analysis for individual and population growth data. The book contains the basic mathematical and statistical tools required to understand the concepts of the methods under discussion and worked examples of analyses, but it is neither a mathematical treatise, nor a recipe book for growth data analysis. Aimed at junior and senior researchers involved in the analysis of human growth data, this book will be an essential reference for anthropologists, auxologists and paediatricians.

Preface G. Gilli; Part I. Growth Data and Growth Studies: Characteristics and Methodological Issues: 1. Why study child growth and maturation J. H. Himes; 2. The human growth curve: distance, velocity and acceleration L. Molinari and T. Gasser; 3. Sampling for growth studies and using growth data to assess, monitor and survey disease in epidemiological settings E. A. Frongillo; 4. Measuring growth N. Cameron; 5. Measuring maturity N. Cameron; 6. Measuring body composition B. Zemel and E. Barden; Part II. Non-Parametric and Parametric Approaches for Individual Growth: 7. Kernel estimation, shape-invariant modeling and structural analysis T. Gasser, D. Gervini and L. Molinari; 8. Parametric models for postnatal growth R. C. Hauspie and L. Molinari; 9. Parameter estimation in the context of non-linear longitudinal growth models R. D. Bock and H. C. du Toit; Part III. Methods for Population Growth: 10. Uni- and bi-variate growth references E. A. Frongillo; 11. Latent variables and structural equation models G. Verleye, M.-J. Ireton, J. C. Carrillo and R. C. Hauspie; 12. Multilevel modelling A. Baxter-Jones and B. Mirwald; Part IV. Special Topics: 13. Methods for the study of the genetics of growth and development S. A. Czerwinski and B. Towne; 14. Prediction N. Cameron; 15. Ordinal longitudinal data analysis J. K. Vermunt and J. A. Hagenaars.

This 2004 volume is a review of methods used in human growth research. Aimed at junior and senior researchers in human biology, anthropology, epidemiology and paediatrics, it provides a minimum of the mathematics behind the methods, and focuses on concepts, possibilities, limitations and applications.