Growth in Head Circumference from Birth to Fifteen Years of Age in Japan

Abstract

Growth charts for head circumference in Japanese children from birth to fifteen years of age are presented. The charts were compiled from the pooled data obtained in a prospective longitudinal study on development and growth in Nagoya city. An adolescent growth spurt in head circumference was found and this spurt occurred earlier in girls than in boys. Heads were smaller up to the age of 10 years and larger beyond that age than those in Nellhaus' composite charts. The heads of children of both sexes in our study are definitely smaller than those of children born in the United Kingdom in the same period, but they are considerably larger than those of children born in Japan more than 50 years ago. Therefore, the standards for head circumference will differ from country to country and from generation to generation.