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Physical and developmental status of preschool small-for-gestational-age children: a comparative study
1Department of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Insights
Children born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) show developmental delays compared to appropriately grown (AGA) peers. Environmental factors and breastfeeding positively impact SGA children
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Development
- Neonatalogy
Background:
- Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth is associated with potential long-term health and developmental challenges.
- Maternal factors like smoking and pre-eclamptic toxaemia (PET) are linked to SGA births.
- Early childhood development requires comprehensive assessment for at-risk populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the developmental and physical status of preschool children born small-for-gestational-age (SGA).
- To compare the outcomes of SGA children with a matched group of appropriately grown (AGA) children.
- To identify factors influencing the development of SGA children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of hospital records for SGA identification.
- Matched case-control study comparing 67 SGA children with AGA children.
- Assessment of physical parameters and developmental assessments (e.g., Stanford Binet scores).
Main Results:
- SGA children exhibited significantly lower physical and developmental scores compared to AGA children.
- Maternal smoking, pre-eclamptic toxaemia (PET), and shorter labor durations were more common in SGA pregnancies.
- Breastfeeding was positively correlated with higher Stanford Binet scores in all children.
- Environmental factors appeared more influential than biological factors on SGA children's progress.
Conclusions:
- Preschoolers born SGA face developmental and physical disadvantages compared to their AGA counterparts.
- Interventions focusing on environmental factors and promoting breastfeeding may help ameliorate negative outcomes for SGA children.
- Further research is needed to optimize developmental trajectories for individuals born small-for-gestational-age.
Abstract:
This study aimed to assess the current developmental and physical status of preschool children identified from hospital records as being small-for-gestational-age (SGA) at birth. Sixty-seven children were compared with a matched group of appropriately grown (AGA) children. Mothers of SGA children were more likely to have smoked during pregnancy, to have suffered pre-eclamptic toxaemia (PET), and to have had shorter labours than the AGA group. They were less likely to have breast-fed their babies, and reported higher incidences of eating problems and visits to the general practitioner. On physical and developmental parameters the AGA group was significantly ahead of the SGA group. For all subjects breast feeding was correlated with higher Stanford Binet scores, and environmental factors appeared more salient for the progress of the SGA children at this age than biological factors. The results are discussed with regard to possible amelioration of the effects of being born small for gestational age.