A cross-sectional growth study of trunk and limb segments of the Bengali boys of Calcutta

This report deals with cross-sectional growth of sitting height (SH), subischial length (SL, estimated as height minus sitting height), height of the anterior superior iliac spine (HIS), and total arm length (TAL) of Bengali school boys (Calcutta), aged 7.0-16.0 years. Preece-Baines model 1 (PB1) fits to the cross-sectional means of the four traits estimate the average ages at maximum increment at 12.41 years for SL, at 12.43 years for HIS, at 12.97 for TAL, and at 13.74 years for SH. Maximum increment of the upper and lower segment of the body are reached at an earlier age in the present study than in a longitudinal analysis of semi-urban Bengali boys from the suburban area of Calcutta. Socioeconomic differences and secular trend might explain this shift towards earlier maturation.