Physical Measurements of Iowa School Children

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Abstract
Five body measurements were made of a state-wide sample of Iowa school children, whose nutrient intakes and nutritional status were studied concurrently. The means at successive ages, 6 through 18, agreed closely with norms based on a partially longitudinal study of Iowa City children. Mean weights at most ages tended to be larger than those observed in a mass study conducted in Iowa about 10 years ago, but mean heights were about the same. There was some evidence of a trend toward relatively greater gains in weight than in height. By most standards of comparison fewer girls than boys were in the so-called normal range. At 12, fewest children were within the normal range. Overweight was more frequent among girls than boys, and among the older than the younger girls. Major differences in mean body measurements of children of successive ages were compared with mean nutrient intake. Of special interest were the periods of 9 to 10 and 14 to 15 for boys, and 12 to 13 for girls. Increments in mean body weight from year to year were irregular for boys and fairly regular for girls despite the opposite trend in nutrient intake. Moreover, in the teen-age, mean weights and heights of girls tended to increase although mean nutrient consumption apparently failed to increase or in some cases, notably calcium, actually decreased with age.

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