Related Experiment Videos
When does growth faltering start?
J A Kusin1, S Kardjati, C de With
1Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Paediatrica Indonesiana
|January 1, 1991
Summary
Growth faltering in Madurese infants is best identified by analyzing weight increments, not just weight-for-age. This method helps pinpoint the critical 3-4 month period for intervention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Human Growth and Development
- Nutritional Epidemiology
Background:
- Assessing infant growth faltering is crucial for early intervention.
- Traditional indicators like weight-for-age may be less sensitive in diverse populations.
- Understanding growth patterns in specific ethnic groups, like Madurese infants, is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate different indicators for identifying the onset of growth faltering in Madurese infants.
- To determine the most effective method for pinpointing the age at which growth becomes unacceptable.
- To inform public health strategies for monitoring infant growth in Indonesia.
Main Methods:
- Compared three indicators: weight-for-age (NCHS/Cambridge references) and 4-week weight/length increments.
- Analyzed data from 391 singleton infants in Madura (1982-1984) with 4-weekly measurements.
- Defined faltering based on weight increments < -2 SD (Waterlow) or no length gain, using a 20% falterer cut-off.
Main Results:
- Weight-for-age indicators were less effective due to high variability and skewed distributions in Madurese infants.
- Analysis of weight increments identified the onset of growth faltering at or before 3-4 months.
- A 20% threshold for weight falterers was used to define the onset period.
Conclusions:
- Weight increment analysis is superior to weight-for-age for detecting growth faltering in this population.
- Growth monitoring data from POSYANDUS (Integrated Health Posts) should be analyzed for weight increments.
- This approach can map age periods at risk for growth faltering across Indonesia.