Large for gestational age and long-term cognitive function

Area of Science:

• Developmental Pediatrics
• Child Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Previous research indicated catch-up cognitive functioning in small-for-gestational-age newborns by age 2 years.
• Understanding cognitive trajectories in infants born with varying birthweights is crucial for early intervention and developmental support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare cognitive functioning in children born with high birthweight for gestational age (≥90% WGA) versus those in the 5-89% WGA range.
• To assess cognitive development from 9 months of age through kindergarten.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, including nonanomalous singletons.
• Compared cognitive and academic functioning at four time points: 9 months, 2, 3.5, and 5.5 years.
• Employed confounder-adjusted general linear models to analyze associations between WGA and cognitive outcomes.

Main Results:

• A total of 2930 cases were analyzed, with 271 (9.2%) classified as ≥90% WGA.
• Children with ≥90% WGA demonstrated no statistically significant differences in cognitive performance compared to normal WGA children at any measured time point (P = .068).
• The rate of cognitive change across early childhood did not differ between the ≥90% WGA group and the normal WGA group.

Conclusions:

• No significant differences in cognitive function were observed between children born with birthweights in the 5-89% WGA range and those in the ≥90% WGA range.
• These findings suggest that high birthweight for gestational age does not negatively impact cognitive development during early childhood.