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Infants Born Large for Gestational Age and Developmental Attainment in Early Childhood
Cairina E Frank1,2, Kathy N Speechley1,2,3, Jennifer J Macnab1
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Insights
Infants born large for gestational age (LGA) show no increased risk for poor verbal ability or externalizing behaviors. Maternal smoking, however, is linked to higher risks for behavioral problems in children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Child Psychology
- Perinatal Epidemiology
Background:
- Large for gestational age (LGA) infants may face developmental challenges.
- Understanding risks for verbal ability and behavior is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between being born large for gestational age (LGA) and developmental outcomes.
- Investigate links to verbal ability and externalizing behavior problems at ages 4-5 years.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (n=1685).
- Defined LGA as birth weight >90th percentile.
- Assessed verbal ability and externalizing behaviors using standardized scales; employed multivariable logistic regression.
Main Results:
- No increased risk for poor verbal ability or externalizing behaviors was found in LGA infants.
- Maternal smoking was associated with increased risk for externalizing behavior problems in both genders.
Conclusions:
- No evidence suggests LGA infants are at higher risk for poor verbal ability or externalizing behavior problems.
- Social factors, like maternal smoking, significantly influence child developmental attainment.
Objectives:
To investigate if an association exists between being born large for gestational age (LGA) and verbal ability or externalizing behaviour problems at ages 4-5 years.
Method:
A secondary analysis was conducted using the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, including singleton births in 2004-2005 followed till 4-5 years (n = 1685). LGA was defined as a birth weight > 90th percentile. Outcomes included poor verbal ability (scoring < 15th percentile on the Revised Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and externalizing behaviour problems (scoring > 90th percentile on externalizing behaviour scales). Multivariable logistic regression with longitudinal standardized funnel weights and bootstrapping estimation were used.
Results:
Infants born LGA were not found to be at increased risk for poor verbal ability (aOR: 1.16 [0.49,2.72] and aOR: 0.83 [0.37,1.87] for girls and boys, resp.) or externalizing behaviour problems (aOR: 1.24 [0.52,2.93] and aOR: 1.24 [0.66,2.36] for girls and boys, resp.). Social factors were found to impact developmental attainment. Maternal smoking led to an increased risk for externalizing behaviour problems (aOR: 3.33 [1.60,6.94] and aOR: 2.12 [1.09,4.13] for girls and boys, resp.).
Conclusion:
There is no evidence to suggest that infants born LGA are at increased risk for poor verbal ability or externalizing behaviour problems.
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