Secular trends of stature and weight of Chinese girls.

Abstract

Stature and weight were studied in 123 12-year-old Southern Chinese girls born and brought up in Hong Kong. The mean stature was 147.22 centimetres with a standard deviation of 6.65 centimetres. The mean body weight was 37.11 kilograms with the standard deviation being 7.39 kilograms. Secular trend of increased body size was demonstrated. The increase was more marked in the lower percentile groups.