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Gain in weight and length during early infancy
S E Nelson1, R R Rogers, E E Ziegler
1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242.
Insights
This study provides crucial infant growth reference data for weight and length gains in breast-fed and formula-fed infants. These findings offer valuable insights for assessing infant health and development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Human Growth and Development
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Infant growth rate is a key health indicator.
- Limited reference data exists for infant weight and length gains during peak growth periods.
- Accurate growth charts are essential for monitoring infant development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish comprehensive reference data for infant weight and length gains.
- To provide feeding-specific (breast-fed vs. formula-fed) and sex-specific growth parameters.
- To aid in the interpretation of infant growth studies and clinical assessments.
Main Methods:
- Collected longitudinal data on 1123 infants (203 breast-fed males, 216 breast-fed females, 380 formula-fed males, 340 formula-fed females).
- Performed seven sets of measurements for each infant at specific ages (8, 14, 28, 42, 56, 84, and 112 days).
- Calculated centile values (5th-95th), means, and standard deviations for weight and length gains.
Main Results:
- Presented detailed centile data for infant weight and length gains across various age intervals.
- Differentiated growth data based on feeding type (breast milk or formula) and infant sex.
- Established reference ranges for normal infant growth trajectories.
Conclusions:
- The generated data serves as a valuable reference for interpreting infant growth.
- These feeding-specific and sex-specific growth charts can enhance the accuracy of pediatric assessments.
- The findings support improved monitoring and evaluation of infant health and nutritional status.
Abstract:
Although rate of growth is generally recognized as a valuable indicator of health status, few reference data are available for gain in weight or length during the period of most growth in infancy. We have therefore summarized our data concerning gains in length and weight of 203 breast-fed males, 216 breast-fed females, 380 formula-fed males, and 340 formula-fed females. Seven sets of measurements (at ages 8, 14, 28, 42, 56, 84 and 112 days) were made with each infant. The 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th centile values together with the means and standard deviations are presented for selected age intervals on a feeding-specific (i.e. breast-fed or formula-fed) and sex-specific basis. We believe that these data will be useful as a reference for interpreting results of infant studies.