Most health questions by adolescents and about adolescents have to do with growth, girth, and development.

Often the adolescent patient or his parent wants to know if the patient's weight and height are "right" for his age, or "where does Mary fit on the chart?"
Gradually doctors and others have come to the conclusion that there is not one "right" weight for every boy who is thirteen years old.

A few years back studies of weight involved only two factors: the age and the weight of the individual. All figures were then lumped together and an average found, which was considered to be correct for that age. With increased study came an understanding that the proper weight for an individual depended not only on his age but also on his height. The average was then charted for those of differing heights within specific age ranges. This meant that three factors were now taken into account: weight, age, and height.

More recently another very significant factor has been added to these three: the age at which the individual has reached, or will reach, the developmental stage known as puberty. It has been found that girls who start their menstrual life at ten or eleven years of age and boys who will reach puberty at eleven or twelve are much likelier to be taller and heavier children than those who will reach puberty at a later age. These differences are noticeable throughout childhood. ... read more >>