Is Birthweight a Predictor of Attention Disorders and Depression in School-Aged Children, 6-17 years?

Objective. There is a growing trend of increased diagnoses of mental health problems among school-aged children 6-17. ADHD/ADD and depression account for two of the top four mental health outcomes, affecting 6.8% and 2.1% of children (3-17 years), respectively. Our objective is to determine if there is an association between birthweight and ADHD/ADD, and birthweight and depression, among school-aged children in the United States. Because both low birthweight and macrosomia are associated with physical health problems in later childhood, we considered both low and macrosomial births as potential risk factors.

Methods. We conducted a cross sectional study using data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), a telephone survey of 95,677 households in the US. Using multiple logistic regression modeling (incorporating survey weights), we estimated the odds ratios associated with low birthweight and macrosomial birth as predictors of ADHD/ADD and for depression among children 6 to 17 years.

Results. Children with macrosomial birth weight (n = 7549) have a statistically higher odds of having depression when compared to healthy birth weights (n = 48681) (OR = 1.328; 95% CI: 1.002, 1.760).   Low birthweight was not statistically associated with childhood depression. There is no statistically significant association between birth weight and ADHD/ADD.

Conclusion. The study adds to the body of evidence that birth weight is a probable risk factor for some mental health outcomes in children. Knowing that macrosomia has a negative effect on mental health outcomes such as depression can lead to more caution and awareness in mental health status of school aged children. Although not statistically significant, the relation of birthweight to ADD/ADHD needs further study.