The main aim of monitoring of somatic parameters is to receive variability in some age categories. Growth charts are showing the picture of growth dynamics of individual body parameters that help us look at all changes in the growth of an individual during certain period of time. The aim of this study was to construct growth charts of somatic parameters with different stability of development at children during first year of their life and to compare growth dynamics of constructed growth charts with charts of premature children. Altogether, there were examined 86 children (42 boys and 44 girls) and 68 premature children (40 boys and 28 girls) from birth to 12th month of life. Newborns were born in interval of 38th to 41st week; premature children were born in interval of 34th to 37th week. We noticed the most intense changes in body length and weight, chest circumference, transversal chest diameter and length of lower limbs. Intensive decrease of thoracic index is connected to the change of a chest shape. Length of lower limb/body length index points to relative short lower limbs compared to body length. We found statistical lower differences in most somatic parameters and indexes of premature children; however, the gains of somatic parameters of premature children were greater. Results of this study confirmed that the growth dynamics is the greatest in the first year of life, specifically in the first three months of life and confirmed the tendency of growth catching up at premature children.

Department of Anthropology Faculty of Natural Sciences Comenius University Bratislava

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