Abstract
The Czech Republic belongs to the countries in which studies of growth of children have a long tradition. Matiegka realized the first extensive transversal research of 100 000 school children already in 1894-1895.
In 1951, many years before the recommendations of WHO were made, a tradition of national monitoring of p hysical growth of children and youth began. Measurement was always carried out every ten years in the form of transverse representative surveys, the Nation-wide anthropological surveys of children and youth (NAS).
Latest VI. NAS conducted in 2001.
It is still the valid source of reference data for the Czech population aged 0-18 years. As shown by a detailed analysis of growth data since 1951, there are still secular changes in the growth profile of children and adolescents.
The a uthors suggest that growth data always relate to child's genetic growth potential to eliminate inaccuracies in the growth diagnostics and correction of growth position on the trend of development perform in adolescence.