Publication

Modeling physical growth using mixed effects models.

Open Access
American journal of physical anthropology
2013

This article demonstrates the use of mixed effects models for characterizing individual and sample average growth curves based on serial anthropometric data. These models are advancement over conventional general linear regression because they effectively handle the hierarchical nature of serial growth data. Using body weight data on 70 infants in the Born in Bradford study, we demonstrate how a mixed effects model provides a better fit than a conventional regression model. Further, we demonstrate howmixed effects models can be used to explore the influence of environmental factors on the sample average growth curve. Analyzing data from 183 infant boys (aged 3-15 months) from rural South India, we show how maternal education shapes infant growth patterns as early as within the first 6 months of life. The presented analyses highlight the utility of mixed effects models for analyzing serialgrowth data because they allow researchers to simultaneously predict individual curves, estimate sample average curves, and investigate the effects of environmental exposure variables.

Access type

Open

Journal name

American journal of physical anthropology

Volume

Volume 150, Issue 1

Publication date

2013

DOI identification

10.1002/ajpa.22128

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Born in Bradford letterpressed print