Glossary

Body mass index (BMI): weight (in kilograms) divided by the square of stature (in meters)

Length: the measure from crown of the head [the superior point] to the bottom of the feet with the subject lying horizontally in a supine position. Length is always measured recumbent.

Normal curve: a bell-shaped, symmetrical curve showing the observed frequencies of a variable

Percentile: a position in the distribution of a variable. For example, the 20th percentile is the position where 20% of occurrences of the variable are smaller and 80% are larger.

Standard deviation: a measure of the amount of variation among the values of a variable in a population.

Stature: the maximum height of an individual. The CDC Growth Charts use the term stature. Stature or height is defined as the measure from crown of the head [the superior point] to bottom of feet. It is always measured standing.