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[Growth retardation and nutritional status in foster children]
Joan Bel1, Antonio Natal, Ferran Cachadiña
1Servicios de Pediatría, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain. joanbel@ns.hugtip.scs.es
Insights
Many children entering foster care experience growth retardation, but show significant catch-up growth during their stay. Nutritional status does not appear to be the primary cause of this growth failure.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Child development
- Nutritional science
Context:
- Children in foster care are a vulnerable population.
- Growth retardation is a significant concern in institutionalized children.
- Understanding factors influencing catch-up growth is crucial for intervention.
Purpose:
- To assess growth retardation in children entering foster care.
- To evaluate catch-up growth at the end of their foster care stay.
- To analyze the relationship between nutritional status and growth retardation.
Summary:
- A significant proportion of children (26.2%) exhibited height deficit upon entering foster care.
- Over a quarter (27.1%) demonstrated significant catch-up growth by the end of their stay.
- Nutritional status markers were generally normal, suggesting growth failure is not primarily nutrition-related.
- Correlations were found between Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I), IGF Binding Protein-3 (IGFBP-3), Growth Hormone Binding Protein (GHBP), leptin, and anthropometric measures.
Impact:
- Highlights the prevalence of growth issues in children in foster care.
- Demonstrates the potential for recovery and catch-up growth in this population.
- Informs strategies for supporting child development in out-of-home care settings.
- Suggests further research into non-nutritional factors affecting growth in foster children.
Background:
Our main objective was to determine growth retardation in children entering a foster home and catch-up growth at the end of the stay. We also analyzed the nutritional status and its relationship with growth retardation.
Subjects And Method:
Height and weight were determined in 118 children, aged between one month and fifteen years; they were examined at admission and at the time of leaving the center. In another group of 31 prepubertal children, we analized their nutritional status determining the body mass index, prealbumin, retinol binding protein, GHBP, IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and leptin at admission.
Results:
31 (26.2%) out of the of the 118 children group had a height deficit (height < 2 SDS) at admission. 32 (27.1%) of the overall group of children showed significant catch-up growth after their stay at the foster home, and 15 (46.8%) of them showed a catch-up growth > 0.5 SDS. Children below two years of age showed the most important growth deficit. The nutritional status study showed normal results in all parameters in the 31 children group. Significant correlations were observed between IGF-I and weight/height, IGFBP-3 and weight/height, GHBP and body mass index, and leptin and body mass index.
Conclusions:
An important proportion of children showed significant growth retardation at entering a foster home, although a significant catch-up growth was observed at the end of their stay. Growth failure in this population does not appear to be related to the nutritional status.