Short parents, can children reach good height?

In today's society, height is not only considered a physical characteristic but also reflects a child's health, nutrition, and quality of life.

According to Dr. Le Thanh Binh, Deputy Head of the Nephrology - Endocrinology Department at the City Children's Hospital, a child's growth process is a long journey that requires proper attention from parents.

If you miss the golden period or fail to recognize early signs of abnormalities, improving your height later on will be much more difficult.

Factors affecting a child's height

According to Doctor Binh, a child's height is influenced by many factors, with genetics contributing about half. The other half comes from nutrition, sleep, exercise, and overall health.

Nutrition is the most important foundation. Children need to be provided with sufficient amounts of all four food groups: protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables. A deficiency in any group will affect the development of the skeletal system.

Bố mẹ thấp, con có thể đạt chiều cao tốt không? - 1 — Nutrition is the most important factor in promoting a child's height (Photo: Unsplash).

In addition, sleep plays an irreplaceable role. Growth hormone is secreted most abundantly at night, especially during deep sleep. If children lack sleep, go to bed late, or have restless sleep, their bodies will miss the "golden hour" for height growth.

Physical activity is also key to stimulating the musculoskeletal system, supporting overall body development.

In many cases, the cause of stunted growth stems from hormonal factors. Children lacking thyroid hormone or growth hormone secreted by the pituitary gland may have difficulty reaching their expected height. This condition can be detected when parents take their child to a specialist for examination.

Dr. Binh noted that children experience the fastest height growth during two periods: the first five years of life and during puberty.

At birth, babies are typically about 50cm long. In their first year, they can grow up to 25cm taller. Between the ages of 1 and 5, the growth rate fluctuates around 10cm per year.

From age 5 until before puberty, growth slows down to about 4-5 cm per year. But when entering puberty, children experience a "breakthrough," potentially reaching 8-10 cm per year.

"To assess a child's height growth rate, parents should measure their child's height regularly, usually every 4-6 months. If the height growth rate is less than 4cm/year in boys and less than 4.5cm/year in girls, it is a sign of slower-than-normal height growth."

"Parents should consider taking their children for a check-up to see if they have a growth hormone deficiency," Dr. Binh emphasized.

Bố mẹ thấp, con có thể đạt chiều cao tốt không? - 2 — Parents should measure their child's height regularly every 4-6 months to assess their growth rate (Photo: Stocksy)

If the parents are short, can their children still grow to a good height?

In response to the question, "If parents are short, can their children still have good height?", Dr. Binh emphasized that genetics only accounts for about 50%. Subsequent generations tend to be taller than previous generations, mainly due to nutrition and lifestyle.

In addition, Dr. Binh said that parents should not compare their child's height with that of other children. Instead, they should compare the child's current height with their height in the past.

Besides height, parents shouldn't be overly obsessed with their child's weight. Dr. Binh explains that weight is a factor that is easily changed by external factors and rarely accurately reflects long-term nutritional status.

"Meanwhile, height is the crucial factor in assessing long-term nutrition. If a child has good height and average or normal weight for their age, we should focus on height. If height increases steadily and appropriately, that's a sign of good nutrition," the doctor advised.

According to Doctor Binh, to help children increase their height, parents need to pay attention to three basic factors.

First, a balanced diet is essential. Besides ensuring sufficient protein from meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, children also need green vegetables and fruits to supplement vitamins and minerals. Doctors also recommend supplementing children with vitamin D3. This is an essential nutrient that helps absorb calcium, but daily diets often don't provide enough.

Secondly, there's sleep. Young children need 10-12 hours of sleep per day, while older children need 8-10 hours. Parents should limit their children's exposure to blue light from phones and televisions before bedtime, and create a quiet, well-ventilated environment for more restful sleep.

Thirdly, physical activity is important. Children need to run, jump, and play outdoor sports instead of sitting in one place for long periods. It doesn't matter what sport it is, as long as it's regular and consistent physical activity, it will help stimulate growth.

In reality, many parents provide very careful care but still notice their children are short and have slow growth. In this case, taking the child to a specialist for examination is necessary.

Dr. Binh emphasized that early examination helps rule out the underlying causes of the disease and allows for timely intervention. In particular, in cases of growth hormone deficiency, long-term hormone injections for 5-7 years can yield significant results, helping children catch up with their peers.

According to the latest statistics, the average height of Vietnamese men is currently 168.1cm, while that of women is 156.2cm. Compared to a decade ago, the average height of young Vietnamese men has increased by 3.7cm, while that of young women has increased by 2.6cm.

In Southeast Asia, the average height of Vietnamese people currently lags behind Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Ten years ago, Vietnam ranked near the bottom of the region, only taller than Indonesia and the Philippines.

According to research by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, the average height of Vietnamese people ranks 153rd out of 201 countries and territories worldwide .

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