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Postnatal factors associated with failure to thrive in term infants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and

A Emond1, R Drewett, P Blair

  • 1Centre for Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Community-Based Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. alan.emond@bristol.ac.uk

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|August 15, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Postnatal feeding efficiency and infant sucking problems significantly impact infant growth faltering. These factors are more influential than social class or parental education for healthy infant development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infant Nutrition
  • Growth and Development

Background:

  • Failure to thrive (FTT) in infancy is a significant concern.
  • Understanding postnatal influences is crucial for early intervention.
  • Previous research has explored various risk factors for FTT.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the contribution of postnatal factors to infant failure to thrive.
  • To identify key feeding-related and other postnatal influences on infant growth faltering.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 11,900 infants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).
  • Calculated conditional weight gain from birth to 8 weeks and 8 weeks to 9 months.
  • Defined growth faltering as conditional weight gain below the 5th centile.

Main Results:

  • Identified 528 cases of growth faltering (birth to 8 weeks) and 495 cases (8 weeks to 9 months).
  • Maternal height <160 cm and age >32 years predicted poor infant growth.
  • Infant sucking problems and illness were associated with early growth faltering; feeding efficiency and weaning were key later on.

Conclusions:

  • Feeding type and efficiency are the most critical postnatal factors for growth faltering.
  • Weak sucking is a primary indicator in early infancy for both breastfed and bottle-fed infants.
  • Post-8 weeks, breastfeeding duration, milk intake, and weaning success are paramount.
Abstract

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