Introduction:
This study aimed to analyze the correlation between serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and body weight and provide some bases for the clinical assessment of the factors influencing children’s height.

Material and methods:
A total of 333 children with a height of less than the 10th percentile were enrolled in this study. Among these children, 212 were male and 121 were female. The age range of these children was 5–14 years. Serum IGF-1 level was detected and the Z-scores (SDS) of the children’s height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were measured. The correlation among the factors was analyzed using Pearson’s correlation analysis.

Results:
Age, body weight, body weight SDS, BMI and BMI SDS were all correlated with serum IGF-1 level (p < 0.0001). There was also a strong correlation between body weight and serum IGF-1 level (r = 0.718) and a weak correlation between serum IGF-1 level and body weight SDS (r = 0.359). BMI SDS was weakly correlated with serum IGF-1 (r = 0.258). The correlation coefficients of age and BMI with serum IGF-1 were 0.622 and 0.536, respectively.

Conclusions:
The correlation between body weight and serum IGF-1 level is not high and it can provide some basis for the clinical assessment of the factors influencing children’s height. However, it is not the main factor affecting height.