Secular changes in the stature and mass of Western Australian secondary school children

Anthropometric data for 4,683 Western Australian secondary school chidren from the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia, were compared with figures compiled in 1940 from the same area. In the 44 year period, the average stature of 12‐ to 18‐year‐old males increased by approximately 4% in each 1 year age band and average body mass increased by 15%. Over the same period, girls of similar age showed stature increases with a mean value of 2% for each 1 year age group and average mass increases of 11%. The magnitude of the secular increase declined with age from 12 to 17 years. Standard deviations for the 1940 data were not presented; hence, the statistical significance of any difference between mean values could not be established. The body mass index (BMI) estimates from 1940 were lower at all ages for both sexes than the actual BMI data from 1984. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.