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Associated factors for accelerated growth in childhood: a systematic review

Maria Aurora Chrestani1, Iná S Santos, Bernardo L Horta

  • 1Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil. machrestani@uol.com.br

Maternal and Child Health Journal
|May 2, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Accelerated growth in children is linked to factors like first-time mothers, maternal smoking, low birth weight, and early weaning. Further research is needed to understand these associations, especially in appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Biology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Accelerated postnatal growth, termed catch-up growth, is linked to chronic disease development.
  • Catch-up growth is typically associated with nutritional or oxygen restriction, but also occurs in healthy infants.
  • Understanding factors associated with accelerated growth is crucial for child health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review associated factors of accelerated growth (catch-up) in children aged 0-12 years.
  • To identify determinants of accelerated growth in infants with appropriate birth weight for gestational age (AGA).

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review of cohort studies was conducted using the Medline/Pubmed database.
  • Included studies were published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish, focusing on children aged 0-12 years with accelerated growth as an outcome.
  • Nine studies were selected from 2,155 initial articles.

Main Results:

  • No uniform definition exists for accelerated growth or catch-up.
  • Associated factors identified include primiparity, maternal smoking during pregnancy, lower birth weight, and early weaning.
  • Significant limitations include high loss to follow-up and lack of confounding factor control.

Conclusions:

  • Accelerated growth is associated with several maternal and early childhood factors.
  • Further research is essential to elucidate the determinants of accelerated growth, particularly in AGA children.
  • Standardized definitions and robust study designs are needed for future investigations.

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