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Height Prediction Formula

The height that a child grows to as an adult is influenced by a number of factors, such as genetics (their parents height), sex (are they male or female), and overall health and nutrition. It is believed that genetics accounts for 70% of the adult height, while 30% comes from environmental factors, such as health, nutrition and exercise.



Although there is no way to predict the future to see how tall a child will become, the following height calculators can be used to give you some idea.

See more about measuring height, baby length and standing height.

Simple and Easy (but inaccurate?)

There are a couple of simple methods used to estimate a child's height potential that are commonly used but less scientific and less accurate than the formula listed below.

  1. Estimate adult height by adding the parents' heights together, then dividing this by two, then adding three inches (7.6 cm) for a boy or subtracting three for a girl.
  2. Estimate your child's height when they reach adulthood, by taking their height at age 2 and doubling it.

height measurementUsing Formula

References

  1. Onat T. Prediction of adult height of girls based on the percentage of adult height at onset of secondary sexual characteristics, at chronological age, and skeletal age. Hum Biol 1975;47:117-30
  2. Tanner JM, Whitehouse RH, Marshall WA, Carter BS. Prediction of adult height, bone age, and occurrence of menarche, at ages 4 to 16 with allowance for midparent height. Arch Dis Child 1975;50: 14-26.
  3. Roche AF, Tyleshevski F, Rogers E. Non-invasive measurements of physical maturity in children. Res Q Exerc Sport 1983;54:364-71.
  4. Khamis HJ, Roche AF. Predicting adult stature without using skeletal age: the Khamis-Roche method. Pediatrics 1994;94:504-7.
  5. Lauren B. Sherar, Robert L. Mirwald, et al. Prediction of Adult Height Using Maturity-Based Cumulative Height Velocity Curves. The Journal of Pediatrics, Oct 1, 2005, Volume 147 (4).
  6. Bayley N, Pinneau SR. Tables for predicting adult height from skeletal age: revised for use with greulich-Pyle hand standards. J Pediatr 1952;40: 423-41.
  7. Roche AF, Wainer H, Thissen D. The RWT method for the prediction of adult stature. Pediatrics 1975;56:1026-33.
  8. Tanner JM, Whitehouse RH, Cameron N, Marshall WA, Healy MJR, Goldstein H. Assessment of skeletal maturity and prediction of adult height. 2nd edition. New York: Academic Press; 1983.
  9. Tanner JM, Healy MJR, Goldstein H, Cameron N. Assessment of skeletal maturity and prediction of adult height (TW2 Method). 3rd edition. London: Saunders; 2001.

Credit: thanks to Mohamad Motevalli for providing the majority of this information.



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