Catch-up growth and growth deficits: Nine-year annual panel child growth for native Amazonians in Bolivia

AbstractBackground: Childhood growth stunting is negatively associated with cognitive and health outcomes, and is claimed to be irreversible after age 2.Aim: To estimate growth rates for children aged 2–7 who were stunted (sex-age standardised z-score [HAZ] −1) at baseline and tracked annually until age 11; frequency of movement among height categories; and variation in height predicted by early childhood height.Subjects and methods: This study used a 9-year annual panel (2002–2010) from a native Amazonian society of horticulturalists–foragers (Tsimane’; n = 174 girls; 179 boys at baseline). Descriptive statistics and random-effect regressions were used.Results: This study found some evidence of catch-up growth in HAZ, but persistent height deficits. Children stunted at baseline improved 1 HAZ unit by age 11 and had higher annual growth rates than non-stunted children. Marginally-stunted boys had a 0.1 HAZ units higher annual growth rate than no...