This volume is a review of methods used in human growth research.

Preface G. Gilli; Part I. Growth Data and Growth Studies: Characteristics and Methodological Issues: 1. Why study child growth and maturation J. H. Himes; 2. The human growth curve: distance, velocity and acceleration L. Molinari and T. Gasser; 3. Sampling for growth studies and using growth data to assess, monitor and survey disease in epidemiological settings E. A. Frongillo; 4. Measuring growth N. Cameron; 5. Measuring maturity N. Cameron; 6. Measuring body composition B. Zemel and E. Barden; Part II. Non-Parametric and Parametric Approaches for Individual Growth: 7. Kernel estimation, shape-invariant modeling and structural analysis T. Gasser, D. Gervini and L. Molinari; 8. Parametric models for postnatal growth R. C. Hauspie and L. Molinari; 9. Parameter estimation in the context of non-linear longitudinal growth models R. D. Bock and H. C. du Toit; Part III. Methods for Population Growth: 10. Uni- and bi-variate growth references E. A. Frongillo; 11. Latent variables and structural equation models G. Verleye, M.-J. Ireton, J. C. Carrillo and R. C. Hauspie; 12. Multilevel modelling A. Baxter-Jones and B. Mirwald; Part IV. Special Topics: 13. Methods for the study of the genetics of growth and development S. A. Czerwinski and B. Towne; 14. Prediction N. Cameron; 15. Ordinal longitudinal data analysis J. K. Vermunt and J. A. Hagenaars.