Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil
06:48

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil

Published on: July 29, 2020

Child patterns of growth delay and cognitive development in a Bolivian mining city

María Ruiz-Castell1, Anne-Elie Carsin, Flavia-Laura Barbieri

  • 1Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Dr. Aiguader, 88 08003 Barcelona, Spain. m.ruizcastell@gmail.com

American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council
|November 8, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Infant growth patterns in Bolivia showed faster growth in smaller newborns, leading to higher weight by 12 months. This rapid infant growth did not impact cognitive development, even near mining industries.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatrics
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Infant growth patterns are crucial for long-term health outcomes.
  • Understanding the impact of environmental factors, such as mining industry proximity, on child development is essential.
  • The ToxBol (Toxicity in Bolivia) birth cohort provides a unique dataset to study these relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize infant growth patterns in the first year of life in a Bolivian cohort.
  • To investigate the association between infant weight gain and cognitive development.
  • To assess potential impacts of living near contaminated mining industries on child development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 175 children in the ToxBol birth cohort.
  • Definition of rapid growth (weight z-score change > 0.67) and slow growth (weight z-score change < -0.67) in the first 6 months.
  • Neurodevelopmental evaluation using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development; mixed models used for association analysis.

Main Results:

  • Children with rapid growth weighed less at birth but had higher body mass index at 12 months.
  • Rapid growth was not statistically associated with cognitive development after adjusting for confounding factors.
  • The study found no significant link between infant growth patterns and cognitive outcomes in this cohort.

Conclusions:

  • Smaller newborns in this Bolivian cohort exhibited faster growth, achieving greater weight and length by 12 months.
  • Observed infant growth patterns did not negatively affect cognitive development.
  • Environmental factors related to mining industries did not show a discernible impact on the studied growth-cognition relationship.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Related Concept Videos

Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
Introduction to Developmental Psychology01:27

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology explores the changes and continuities in human abilities throughout life, encompassing physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social dimensions. Human development is not restricted to growth, but includes aspects of decline, particularly in physical abilities as individuals age. Developmental psychologists seek to understand how people change as they age and how their mental and social skills evolve.Developmental MilestonesA key concept in developmental psychology is...
Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
Longitudinal Studies01:26

Longitudinal Studies

Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children from...
Longitudinal Research02:20

Longitudinal Research

Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...