Height velocity in American males 2 to 19 years

Height velocity by age for American males. The main set of curves (black lines) is centered on the population with average timing of peak growth velocity (around 13.5 years for males) and show an approximate trajectory for individual children with this average pubertal timing. The 2 other curves outline a trajectory (50^th percentile) for a child with "early" (solid blue) or "late" (solid orange) timing of peak growth velocity.
Other height velocity curves have been developed that reflect population averages (eg, Kelly A, JCEM 2014, not shown here). Those curves are substantially flatter than the trajectory followed by any individual patient. They are based on data from a more recent and ethnically diverse population of children and are valuable for understanding overall growth patterns in the population but are less appropriate for evaluation of the growth of an individual patient.

SD: standard deviations.

Graphic 96367 Version 9.0