Longitudinal study on the physical growth of Japanese children and youth.

2002 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 13680012
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 体育学
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: TAKAI Shozo Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, Professor, 体育科学系, 教授 (20050643)
• Project Period (FY): 2001 – 2002
• Keywords: Growth / Longitudinal study / Growth curve / Adolescent spurt / Growth velocity / Japanese / Physique / Anthropometry

Research Abstract

This report analyzed interrelationships of parameters on adolescent growth sport of Japanese children. The subjects consisted of 174 girls and 174 boys amongst of 11,256 children of the Ogi Growth Study. Anthropometric variables were height, leg length, sitting height, arm length, shoulder width, hip width and weight. Individual growth data for 12 years were analyzed by the BTT method of AUXAL3 computer program based on the application of a triple logistic function to yield adolescent growth parameters. The following finding were obtained :
1) Timings of adolescent spurt did not occur simultaneously for the variables. The growth of leg proceeded to that of sitting height. The timing of growth spurt for weight was the latent among the variables.
2) Final size of the variables did not correlate with their timing and velocity of the variables.
3) As for the longitudinal dimensions, late occurrence of adolescence (take-off and peak ages) strongly correlated with higher peal velocity.
4) Hip width for girls and shoulder width for boys showed characteristic growth patterns that is peculiar to the sex.
5) Factor analysis showed several factors controlling the adolescent growth spurt such as timing related factor, size related factor, velocity related factor. Again, a factor related with hip width for the sexes and a factor controlling the sitting height growth are extracted from the analysis.