Percentile Distributions of Birth Weight according to Gestational Ages in Korea (2010-2012)

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Neonatalogy
• Public Health

Background:

• The 2007 Korean Pediatric Growth Chart lacks detailed newborn birth weight references by sex and plurality.
• Existing data on birth weight by gestational age is insufficient for comprehensive clinical assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a national reference range for neonatal birth weight percentiles in Korea.
• To account for gestational age, sex, and plurality in newborn birth weight assessment.
• To provide updated data for improved clinical evaluation of neonatal growth.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a large dataset of Korean newborns from 2010-2012 (over 1.4 million births).
• Utilized the lambda-mu-sigma method to create smoothed percentile curves (3rd-97th) for birth weight by gestational age.
• Categorized data by all live births, singleton births, and multiple births.

Main Results:

• Male newborns were heavier than female newborns; singletons were heavier than twins.
• The difference in birth weight between singletons and multiples increased with gestational age.
• Compared to previous Korean data, birth weight at 22-23 weeks gestation increased, while other gestational ages showed decreased birth weight.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first comprehensive Korean national reference for neonatal birth weight percentiles stratified by gestational age, sex, and plurality.
• The updated data highlights significant differences in birth weight based on sex and plurality, necessitating tailored clinical assessments.
• These findings are expected to enhance the accuracy of clinical evaluations for newborn growth and development in Korea.