MCHB Training Module -- Adolescent Physical Development: Uses and Limitations of Growth Charts

1. Normal Pubertal Development

During puberty, there is not a distinct spurt in weight gain as there is in stature, and the variability of weight is greater than for stature, leading to a widening "spread" over time in weight between the higher and lower percentiles between 10 and 20 years of age. In addition, during puberty the composition of the tissues that make up body weight changes over time in different ways for females and males.



	Early in puberty, females slow their accumulation of total body fat, but during their peak height velocity they accelerate their accumulation of fat and lean body tissue, leading to an increase in weight that peaks just prior to menarche.
	After that time, the rate at which weight is added slows, with an inflection point around 13 years of age.

	There is a large difference between the rate at which weight is gained at the extremes of percentiles:
	between the age of 12 and 13, girls at the 5th percentile gain less than 8 lbs ...
	... while those at the 95th percentile gain more than 13 lbs.