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Growth in early life and physical and intellectual development at school age: a cohort study

Chao Li1, Lingxia Zeng1, Duolao Wang2

  • 11Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics,School of Public Health,Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center,Xi'an,710061,People's Republic of China.

The British Journal of Nutrition
|February 12, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Early life weight gain in low-resource settings is linked to better cognitive function and nutritional status in school-aged children. This highlights the importance of monitoring child growth for long-term development.

Area of Science:

  • Child Health and Nutrition
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Global Health Research

Background:

  • Early life growth is crucial for long-term health, but its impact on cognitive development in low-resource settings is understudied.
  • Prenatal micronutrient supplementation trials offer opportunities to examine early life growth and later outcomes.
  • Understanding these associations can inform public health interventions in resource-limited environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between early postnatal growth (weight and height gain) and subsequent cognitive development and nutritional status in children aged 7-9 years.
  • To assess how early life growth trajectories influence intellectual function and physical health markers in later childhood.
  • To provide evidence for the importance of early growth monitoring in vulnerable populations.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of children born in 2004, with anthropometric measurements at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.
  • Follow-up assessments of nutritional status (height-for-age, weight-for-age, BMI-for-age) and intellectual function (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, WISC-IV) at ages 7-9 years.
  • Multilevel linear and logistic regression models were used to analyze associations between early growth and later outcomes, adjusting for relevant factors.

Main Results:

  • Weight gain between 6 and 12 months of age was significantly associated with higher scores on the Full-scale Intelligence Quotient, Verbal Comprehension Index, Working Memory Index, and Perceptual Reasoning Index.
  • Early life weight gain (0-6 months) was inversely associated with the odds of being underweight (OR 0.19), thin (OR 0.34), and stunted (OR 0.40) at 7-9 years.
  • Weight gain during 6-12 and 18-24 months was also linked to a reduced risk of being underweight in later childhood.

Conclusions:

  • Postnatal weight gain during critical early periods is a significant predictor of improved intellectual development and better nutritional status in school-aged children.
  • These findings underscore the long-term benefits of adequate early childhood nutrition and growth, particularly in resource-constrained settings.
  • Interventions promoting optimal early growth may have lasting positive effects on cognitive and physical health trajectories.

Keywords:
FSIQ Full-scale Intelligence QuotientWISC-IV Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children fourth editionEarly school-aged childrenHeight gainIntellectual developmentPhysical developmentWeight gain

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