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Parental age and child growth and development: child health check-up data

Mariko Iwayama1, Ryutaro Kira1, Naoko Kinukawa1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu UniversityDepartment of Medical Information Science, Kyushu University HospitalFukuoka City Medical Association, Fukuoka, Japan.

Pediatrics International : Official Journal of the Japan Pediatric Society
|February 24, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Parental age influences child health. Both increasing maternal and paternal age are linked to developmental delays and birthweight, but higher paternal age may decrease low birthweight incidence.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Reproductive Health
  • Child Development

Background:

  • Parental age is a demographic factor potentially impacting child health outcomes.
  • Previous research has explored links between maternal age and child health, but paternal age effects are less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of parental age on various aspects of child health.
  • To analyze associations between parental age and child growth, developmental milestones, and birth outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized well-baby check-up data at 1 and 12 months of age.
  • Analyzed trends between parental age and growth measurements, physical/developmental abnormalities, low birthweight, and spontaneous abortion history.

Main Results:

  • Increasing paternal age correlated with psychomotor developmental delay at 12 months.
  • Higher paternal and maternal ages were associated with increased birthweight.
  • Increasing parental age linked to a higher incidence of spontaneous abortion history.
  • Conversely, low-birthweight infant incidence decreased with increasing paternal age.

Conclusions:

  • Both advanced maternal and paternal ages significantly influence child development and growth.
  • Parental age is a critical factor in pediatric health and requires consideration in public health strategies.
Abstract

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