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Developing world perspective: the importance of growth for short-term health
1Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Insights
Promoting catch-up growth in children has potential long-term risks like obesity. However, in resource-poor settings, poor early growth poses immediate threats of high child morbidity and mortality from infections.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Rapid early childhood weight gain is linked to later obesity and chronic disease risk factors.
- Concerns exist regarding promoting catch-up growth in infants small for gestational age or with poor growth.
- Immediate health threats in resource-poor settings must be considered alongside long-term growth consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the costs and benefits of promoting catch-up growth in children.
- To highlight the immediate health risks associated with poor early growth in developing countries.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on the short-term and long-term consequences of child growth patterns.
- Analysis of the relationship between attained size, prior nutritional status, and health outcomes.
Main Results:
- Rapid early growth increases the likelihood of childhood obesity and chronic disease risk factors (e.g., insulin resistance, elevated blood pressure).
- Children with poor prior growth face higher risks of morbidity and mortality from common infectious diseases, such as lower respiratory infections and diarrhea.
- Failure to promote compensatory growth in vulnerable populations may lead to severe short-term health consequences.
Conclusions:
- The decision to promote catch-up growth requires balancing potential long-term risks with immediate survival needs.
- In resource-limited settings, addressing immediate threats of infection and mortality in poorly growing children is critical.
- Further research is needed to optimize growth promotion strategies considering diverse environmental contexts and health outcomes.
Abstract:
Recently, concern has been raised about the potential adverse long-term consequences of rapid child growth. Rapid early childhood weight gain is associated with increased likelihood of being overweight or obese later in childhood and of having risk factors for the development of chronic disease such insulin resistance and elevated blood pressure. This has led to concerns about the wisdom of promoting catch-up growth in infants born small for gestational age or in children with poor growth after birth. In considering the costs and benefits of promoting catch-up growth, we must not lose sight of the immediate health threats to children in resource-poor environments in developing countries where child morbidity and mortality remain high. The literature on short-term consequences of growth is limited by its focus on attained size as an indicator of prior nutritional status, but generally shows that children with evidence of poor prior growth are at greater risk of morbidity and mortality from common infectious diseases, including lower respiratory infections and diarrhea. In these settings, failure to promote compensatory growth may have devastating short-term consequences.
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