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Comparative study of five growth models applied to weight data from congolese infants between birth and 13 months of

Kirsten B Simondon1, Francois Simondon1, Francis Delpeuch2

  • 1Nutrition Department, ORSTOM (Institut Français de Recherche Scientifique pour le Développement en Coopération), Dakar, BP 1386, Senegal, West Africa.

American Journal of Human Biology : the Official Journal of the Human Biology Council
|May 20, 2017
PubMed

Insights

The four-parameter Reed model best fits infant weight data from birth to 13 months, outperforming other models. The Karlberg model is suitable for ages 2-12 months, while Count and Kouchi models showed poor fits.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Biostatistics
  • Growth Modeling

Background:

  • Accurate infant growth modeling is crucial for monitoring child development.
  • Various mathematical models exist to describe infant weight changes.
  • Evaluating model performance is essential for reliable data interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the goodness of fit and parameter estimation of five growth models.
  • To identify the optimal model for describing weight data in Congolese infants.
  • To assess model performance across different age ranges.

Main Methods:

  • Weight data from 95 rural Congolese infants (birth to 13 months) were analyzed.
  • Five growth models were tested: Karlberg (Infancy component), Count, Kouchi, and Reed (4- and 5-parameter versions).
  • Model performance was evaluated using goodness of fit, parameter distribution, residuals, correlations, and skewness.

Main Results:

  • Reed models provided the closest fits, followed by the Karlberg model.
  • Count and Kouchi models demonstrated poor fits.
  • The four-parameter Reed model was preferred over the five-parameter version.
  • Three-parameter models showed systematic bias in neonatal weight estimation.
  • Kouchi and Reed models exhibited high correlations; Kouchi and 5-parameter Reed showed parameter skewness.

Conclusions:

  • The four-parameter linear Reed model is recommended for infant weight data (birth to 1 year) despite collinearity.
  • The Infancy component of the Karlberg model is suitable for ages 2–12 months.
  • Count and Kouchi models are not recommended for this dataset.

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