Body proportion chart for evaluating changes in stature, sitting height and leg length in children and adolescents

Background: Studies by longitudinal sample to evaluate trends in stature, sitting height, leg length and body proportions together in Japanese children are scarce.Aim: Trends in stature, sitting height, leg length and LUR (lower segment and upper segment ratio) were evaluated with a graphical method (Body Proportion Chart).Subjects and methods: Longitudinal data for 520 boys and 306 girls who had 12 consecutive yearly measurements from 6.5–17.5 years of age were used.Results: Estimated growth rates of leg length were greater than those of sitting height in pre-adolescence in both sexes. Leg length was slightly longer in girls than in boys for a short period early in adolescence, but sitting height in girls exceeded that in boys for a longer period. LUR attained peak values between 12.5–13.5 years in girls (LUR = 85.7) and between 13.5–14.5 years in boys (LUR = 89.2). After attaining maximum LUR, leg length was stable, although sitting height continued to increase slightly in both sexes.Conclusion: The res...