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Extremely low birth weight and body size in early adulthood

L W Doyle1, B Faber, C Callanan

  • 1The Division of Newborn Services, the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. lwd@unimelb.edu.au

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|March 23, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) survivors achieve average adult weight and parental height, but tend to be heavier for their stature. This study tracked ELBW individuals to early adulthood for body size assessment.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) is associated with long-term health challenges.
  • Understanding the long-term body size outcomes for ELBW survivors is crucial for monitoring and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the body size, including height, weight, and BMI, of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) survivors in early adulthood.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study followed 42 ELBW survivors (birth weight 500-999 g) without cerebral palsy from birth to 20 years.
  • Height and weight were measured and converted to Z (standard deviation) scores.
  • Adult height was compared to parental height, and body mass index (BMI) Z scores were calculated.

Main Results:

  • ELBW subjects had significantly lower height Z scores throughout childhood and adolescence, but adult height was consistent with parental stature.
  • While birth weight Z scores were substantially below zero, adult weight Z scores were not significantly different from zero.
  • Adults were relatively heavy for their height, with a mean BMI Z score near zero and a notable proportion having BMIs above 25 and 30.

Conclusions:

  • ELBW survivors attain average adult weight and height relative to their parents, despite early growth deficits.
  • A tendency towards being relatively heavy for their height suggests potential long-term metabolic health considerations.
  • Longitudinal monitoring of body composition and metabolic health in ELBW survivors is warranted.
Abstract

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