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Infant growth and child cognition at 3 years of age
Mandy B Belfort1, Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman, Janet W Rich-Edwards
1Children's Hospital Boston, Division of Newborn Medicine, Hunnewell 437, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mandy.belfort@childrens.harvard.edu
Insights
Slower infant weight gain in the first 6 months did not impact cognitive or visual-motor skills at age 3 in healthy children. These findings help define optimal infant growth patterns for long-term health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Neurodevelopmental Science
- Growth Monitoring
Background:
- Infancy is a crucial period for brain development.
- Limited research exists on infant weight gain's impact on neurodevelopment in healthy populations.
- Understanding growth patterns is vital for long-term child health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between infant weight gain (birth to 6 months) and cognitive and visual-motor skills at 3 years of age.
- To analyze neurodevelopmental outcomes in relation to early-life growth trajectories.
Main Methods:
- Prospective longitudinal study of 872 infants (Project Viva cohort).
- Weight-for-age z scores used to quantify infant weight gain from birth to 6 months.
- Cognitive skills assessed using Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III; visual-motor skills using Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities at age 3.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant association was found between infant weight gain and cognitive scores (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III).
- No significant association observed between infant weight gain and visual-motor skills (Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities).
- Adjustments were made for numerous child, maternal, and socioeconomic factors.
Conclusions:
- Slower infant weight gain is not linked to poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in healthy, term-born 3-year-olds.
- Findings contribute to understanding optimal infant growth for balancing health risks and benefits across the lifespan.
Background:
Infancy is a critical period for brain development. Few studies have examined the extent to which infant weight gain is associated with later neurodevelopmental outcomes in healthy populations.
Objective:
The purpose of this work was to examine associations of infant weight gain from birth to 6 months with child cognitive and visual-motor skills at 3 years of age.
Patients And Methods:
We studied 872 participants in Project Viva, an ongoing prospective, longitudinal, prebirth cohort. We abstracted birth weight from the medical chart and weighed infants at 6 months of age. We used the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts to derive weight-for-age z scores. Our primary predictor was infant weight gain, defined as the weight-for-age z score at 6 months adjusted for the weight-for-age z score at birth. At 3 years of age, we measured child cognition with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III and visual-motor skills with the Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities.
Results:
Mean Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III score was 104.2, and mean Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities test score was 102.8. Mean birth weight z score was 0.21, and mean 6-month weight z score was 0.39. In multiple linear regression adjusted for child age, gender, gestational age, breastfeeding duration, primary language, and race/ethnicity; maternal age, parity, smoking status, and cognition; and parental education and income level, we found no association of infant weight gain with child Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III score (-0.4 points per z score weight gain increment, 95% confidence interval -1.3, 0.6) or total Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities standard score (-0.4 points, 95% confidence interval -1.2, 0.5).
Conclusions:
Slower infant weight gain was not associated with poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in healthy, term-born 3-year-old children. These results should aid in determining optimal growth patterns in infants to balance risks and benefits of health outcomes through the life course.
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