Are universal standards for optimal infant growth appropriate? Evidence from a Hong Kong Chinese birth cohort

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Published on: February 2, 2017

L L Hui1, C M Schooling, B J Cowling

  • 1The University of Hong Kong, Department of Community Medicine, 5/F William MW Mong Block, Room 5-21, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|June 9, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Hong Kong infants show similar weight to World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards but are shorter in height. This suggests universal infant growth standards may not fit all populations due to factors like epigenetic constraints.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Public Health

Background:

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) established new optimal infant growth standards in 2006.
  • Assessing the applicability of these universal standards to diverse populations is crucial for accurate growth monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the general applicability of the WHO 2006 optimal infant growth standards.
  • To compare WHO growth standards with infant growth patterns in a Hong Kong Chinese population.

Main Methods:

  • Data collected from over 7,400 infants born in Hong Kong in April/May 1997.
  • Weight, length, and height measurements taken at various developmental milestones.
  • Age and sex-specific z-scores calculated against WHO growth standards for term singletons.

Main Results:

  • Infant weight for age closely aligned with WHO 50th percentile before 3 years.
  • Hong Kong toddlers were, on average, shorter than WHO standards at 3 years (z-scores of -0.34 for boys, -0.38 for girls).
  • Analysis of a subset meeting WHO healthy infant criteria yielded similar height discrepancies.

Conclusions:

  • Hong Kong Chinese toddlers exhibit shorter stature compared to WHO growth standards.
  • Potential factors include epigenetic constraints and rapid epidemiological transition impacting genetic height potential.
  • Universal infant growth standards may require population-specific considerations.
Abstract

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