Monitoring the Growth Dynamics of Somatic Traits Based on a Semi-longitudinal Study

0356089 - ÚI 2012 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Sedlak, P. - Bláha, P. - Brabec, Marek - Vignerová, J. - Janoušek, S. - Riedlová, J. - Stříbrná, L.
Monitoring the Growth Dynamics of Somatic Traits Based on a Semi-longitudinal Study.
Homo-Journal of Comparative Human Biology. Roč. 62, č. 2 (2011), s. 144-158. ISSN 0018-442X. E-ISSN 1618-1301
Grant - others:GA MZd(CZ) NS9802
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504
Keywords : semi-longitudinal study * anthropomenty * linear mixed effects model * study design
Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research
Impact factor: 0.542, year: 2011

Possibilities of conducting longitudinal human growth studies are very limited, since it is necessary to monitor the probands for a long time. Additional problems are related to missing data. We describe a particular semi-longitudinal design with a linear mixed model (LME) analysis as one possible solution to the problem. Our study employing this design was conducted as a short longitudinal monitoring of 1925 children (990 boys, 935 girls), aged 6-15 years, drawn at random from 20 elementary schools in four regions of the Czech Republic. With the help of the LME model, growth velocity curves of 12 somatic traits have been obtained. Using the same model, several additional features of substantial practical interest, were estimated in a formalized way (e.g. the timing, intensity and duration of growth spurts have been estimated).
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0194705