Linear Growth Spurts are Preceded by Higher Weight Gain Velocity and Followed by Weight Slowdowns Among Rural Children in Burkina Faso: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: The temporal relationship between length (linear) and weight (ponderal) growth in early life is important to support optimal nutrition program design. Studies based on measures of attained size have established that wasting often precedes stunting, but such studies do not capture responsiveness of growth to previous compared with current conditions. As a result, the temporality of linear and ponderal growth relationships remain unclear.