We describe the height and weight velocities of 1529 preschool Ethiopi
an children from two rural and semi-urban communities. Compared to int
ernational references, our results show a marked deficit in both heigh
t and weight velocities. Most importantly, these deficits occurred amo
ng the youngest children. As most of the children had normal body prop
ortions, the weight velocity deficits are probably a consequence of in
creasing prevalence of stunting alone.