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Relation between birth weight at term and growth rate, skeletal age, and cortical bone at 6-11 years
Robert M. Malina1, Peter T. Katzmarzyk, Gaston P. Beunen
1Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Insights
Birth weight is linked to stature and mass in children, but not to growth rates or skeletal maturity. Other factors significantly influence childhood development beyond birth weight.
Area of Science:
- Human Biology
- Pediatric Growth and Development
- Skeletal Maturation
Background:
- Fetal and childhood growth influence adult degenerative disease risk.
- Birth weight and childhood growth indicators may explain fetal growth-adult disease associations.
- Understanding these early life factors is crucial for long-term health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between birth weight and attained size and growth rate in body size and M II cortical bone area.
- To investigate the relationship between birth weight and skeletal age and skeletal maturation rate in children aged 6-11 years.
Main Methods:
- Correlational analyses examined relationships between birth weight and attained size (stature, mass, BMI), M II cortical area, and skeletal age (Tanner-Whitehouse method).
- Annual velocities were calculated from repeated measurements to assess growth rates.
- Correlations between birth weight and annual velocities were computed.
Main Results:
- Birth weight significantly correlated with stature and mass in boys, and stature in girls (6-11 years).
- No significant relationships were found between birth weight and BMI, M II cortical area, or skeletal maturity.
- Birth weight did not significantly relate to annual growth velocities, skeletal age increments, or weight gain over the observation period.
Conclusions:
- Birth weight is associated with certain attained growth parameters in childhood but not with growth rates or skeletal maturation.
- Factors other than birth weight play a significant role in regulating growth rate, M II cortical bone area, and skeletal maturation during childhood.
- Further research is needed to identify these other influences on childhood development and long-term health.
Abstract:
There is an apparent link between fetal and childhood growth and puberty and risk for several degenerative diseases in adulthood. It is also important to consider associations between birth weight and indicators of growth and biological maturation during childhood and adolescence as potential explanations for associations between fetal growth and adult risk for disease. The present study examines the association between birth weight and (1) size attained and rate of growth in body size and cortical bone area of the second metacarpal (M II), and (2) skeletal age and rate of skeletal maturation in children 6-11 years of age. The sample included 127 boys and 105 girls of European ancestry, divided into two age groups, 6-8 years and 9-11 years. The relationship between birth weight and attained size (stature, mass, and the BMI), M II cortical area and skeletal age (SA, Tanner-Whitehouse method) during childhood was examined with correlational analyses. Observations on children measured on two occasions were converted to annual velocities, and correlations between birth weight and annual velocities were also calculated. Birth weight is significantly associated with stature and mass in boys and only with stature in girls 6-11 years of age, but is not related to the BMI, M II cortical area, or skeletal maturity. Birth weight is not significantly related to annual velocities of growth in stature, mass, the BMI and M II cortical area; to the annual increment in SA; and to weight gain from birth to the time of measurement (intervals of 6 to 11 years). The results emphasize a role of other influences than birth weight on growth rate, cortical area of M II, and skeletal maturation during childhood. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 11:505-511, 1999. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.