Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #102734

Xu Xiong, MD, DrPH¹, Joan Wightkin, DrPH², Jeanette H. Magnus, MD, PhD³, Gabriella Pridjian, MD⁴, Juan Manuel Acuna, MD⁵, and Pierre Buekens, MD, PhD¹. (1) Department of Epidemiology, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2022, New Orleans, LA 70112, 504-988-1379, xxiong@tulane.edu, (2) Louisiana Office of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health Program, 325 Loyola Ave, Rm 612, New Orleans, LA 70112, (3) Community Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health, 1501 Canal Street, SL 29, New Orleans, LA 70112, (4) Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112, (5) CDC Assignee to The Louisiana Office of Public Health, 325 Loyola Avenue, Suite 611, New Orleans, LA 70112

To examine the relationship between fetal growth and infant growth at about 12 months, we conducted a retrospective cohort study based on 3,302 births followed up between 8-18 months from Louisiana Women, Infant and Children Supplemental Food Program, 1999-2001. Infant growth was measured as infant weight gain percent (IWG %) defined as the weight gain from birth to infant weight divided by the birth weight. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare the infant growth measures according to birth weight category and small-, large- or appropriate for-gestational age (i.e., SGA, LGA, AGA) status. There was a reverse relationship between birth weight category and IWG%. The IWG % of birth weight categories of <1500 g, 1500 g-, 2000 g-, 2500 g-, 3000 g -, 3500 g-, and 4000 g- were 613.9%, 393.7%, 306.2%, 238.9%, 205.1%, 177.5%, and 151.3% respectively (p<0.0001). The IWG % of SGA, LGA and AGA were 283.6%, 166.5% and 221.1% respectively (p< 0.0001). The IWG% remained markedly higher in SGA infants and lower in LGA infants at each month of infant age between 8-18 months. However, the low birth weight or SGA infants had lower Z scores and percentiles for weight for age, weight for length. We conclude that low birth weight or SGA infants have a significant ‘catch-up' growth; whereas high birth weight or LGA infants have a significant ‘slow-down' growth. The potential impact of this growth change in SGA and LGA infants in the postnatal period on later life disorders need to be determined.

Learning Objectives:

• develop a new measure to assess infant growth;
• identify a catch-up infant growth for low birth weight infants and a slow-down infant growth for high birth weight infants;
• discuss public health implications of the observed infant growth patterns linked to the fetal origins of adult disease hypothesis

Keywords: Pregnancy Outcomes, Infant Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.