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Growth of head circumference of Malaysian infants and pre-school children
1Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.
Insights
This study tracked head circumference growth in 126 Malaysian children from birth to age six. Findings confirm rapid early growth, with minimal changes by age five, and that boys generally have larger head circumferences than girls.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Human Growth and Development
- Anthropometry
Background:
- Head circumference is a key indicator of brain growth and development in children.
- Establishing normative data is crucial for monitoring child health and identifying potential developmental issues.
- Previous growth studies may not fully represent the Malaysian pediatric population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish head circumference distance and velocity percentile charts for Malaysian children.
- To analyze growth patterns of head circumference from birth to six years.
- To compare head circumference between Malaysian boys and girls.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal follow-up of 126 Malaysian children (65 boys, 61 girls) from birth to six years.
- Regular measurements of head circumference conducted at University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur.
- Data analysis to determine growth velocity and create percentile charts.
Main Results:
- Head circumference growth velocity is highest in early infancy, decreasing significantly by five years of age.
- Boys consistently exhibit larger head circumferences compared to girls.
- Development of Malaysian-specific head circumference percentile charts for distance and velocity.
Conclusions:
- The study provides valuable reference data for monitoring the head circumference of Malaysian children.
- The findings support established patterns of head growth but offer population-specific charts.
- These charts can aid healthcare professionals in assessing normal development and identifying deviations.
Abstract:
126 Malaysian children, 65 boys and 61 girls from higher income families were followed-up regularly from birth to six years of age in the University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. The study confirms the observations of previous studies that growth velocity of head circumference is most rapid during the first few months of infancy and then decreases so that by the fifth year of life the increment is minimal. It also confirms the fact that boys have bigger head circumferences than girls. The paper also presents the head circumference distance and velocity percentile charts which can be used to monitor the head circumference of Malaysian children.
