Prediction of age at menarche from annual height increments

Abstract

The divergence in height velocity of early and late maturing girls in early adolescence is exploited to predict menarcheal age from a year's growth in height. Simple prediction equations are generated based on data from the Berkely Guidance Study, and are subsequently tested against an independent sample from the Stuart Growth Study. The success of this prediction method compares favorably with others based on x-ray determinations of bone age; it is much more successful than a proposed method that utilizes estimations of body fat. The height increment method is recommended both by its simplicity and by the relative accessability of the information involved.