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Impact of maternal age and maternal somatic characteristics on newborn size
Sylvia Kirchengast1, Beda Hartmann
1Institute for Anthropology, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. sylvia.kirchengast@univie.ac.at
Insights
Pregnancies in very young mothers (12-16 years) result in smaller newborns, despite higher relative weight gain. Maternal age and body characteristics significantly impact fetal growth, even with adequate psychosocial support.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
- Human Growth and Development
Background:
- Early adolescent pregnancies are often associated with increased risks for mothers and newborns.
- Biopsychosocial factors are considered crucial in understanding pregnancy outcomes for young mothers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the impact of maternal age and somatic characteristics on newborn anthropometry.
- To investigate the relationship between maternal prepregnancy weight, stature, weight gain, and infant birth measurements.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a dataset comprising 8,011 single term births.
- Comparison of offspring somatometric features (birth weight, length, head and arcomial circumference) across different maternal age groups (12-16, 17-19, and 20-29 years).
- Statistical analysis to determine the significance of maternal age, prepregnancy weight, stature, and pregnancy weight gain on newborn size.
Main Results:
- Offspring of mothers aged 12-16 years were significantly smaller in all dimensions compared to older adolescent and adult mothers (P < 0.0001).
- No increased incidence of low-weight newborns (<2,500 g) was observed in the youngest group.
- Youngest mothers were significantly smaller and lighter, yet exhibited the highest relative pregnancy weight gain.
Conclusions:
- Maternal age and somatic characteristics significantly influence newborn size.
- Pregnancy weight gain and prepregnancy weight status are key factors associated with pregnancy outcomes.
- Even within term births with adequate psychosocial support, maternal physical attributes play a crucial role in determining newborn size.
Abstract:
Pregnancies during early adolescence were commonly thought to represent special risks, such as preterm delivery or low-weight newborns, resulting in increased mortality and morbidity of mother and child. An important biopsychosocial interaction can be assumed. In the present study the impact of maternal age and maternal somatic characteristics such as prepregnancy weight, stature, or pregnancy weight gain on newborn somatometric features (birth weight, birth length, head circumference, and arcomial circumference) using a dataset of 8,011 single term births were analyzed. The offspring of 215 extremely young mothers ages 12-16 years were significantly (P < 0.0001) lighter and smaller in all body dimensions than the offspring of older adolescent mothers, ages 17-19 years, and the offspring of adult gravida, ages 20-29 years, although no increased incidence of low-weight newborns (<2,500 g) could be observed. As expected, the youngest mothers were also significantly smaller and lighter than their older, biologically more mature counterparts, although the relative weight gain during pregnancy was highest in the youngest age group (23.4% vs. 22.9 and 22.1%, respectively). In general, age but also pregnancy weight gain and prepregnancy weight status were significantly associated with pregnancy outcome. Within term births taking place under sufficient psychosocial support, maternal somatic features had an important impact on newborn size.