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Birth weight and subsequent growth among Navajo children
R E Peck1, J S Marks, M J Dibley
1Division of Nutrition, CHPE, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333.
Insights
Navajo children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Growth Monitoring
- Public Health
Background:
- The Navajo Nation Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) collects routine anthropometric data.
- Suboptimal nutritional status is suggested by length-for-age and weight-for-length measures in Navajo children under two.
- Birth weight is a key factor influencing early childhood growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between birth weight and subsequent growth patterns in Navajo children.
- To assess changes in growth status over time (1975-1980) within different birth weight groups.
- To inform potential prenatal interventions for improving child growth.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of routinely collected length, weight, and birth weight data from Navajo WIC clinics.
- Categorization of children (<2 years) into low, normal, and high birth weight groups.
- Longitudinal plotting of growth patterns (length-for-age, weight-for-length) relative to a reference population.
Main Results:
- Children with low birth weight (<2,500g) were consistently shorter, lighter, and thinner than those with higher birth weights.
- Overall growth status improved between 1975 and 1980, but low birth weight children did not fully catch up.
- The low birth weight group showed no improvement in length-for-age, unlike the normal birth weight group.
Conclusions:
- Birth weight is significantly associated with long-term growth status in Navajo children.
- Prenatal interventions aimed at increasing birth weight may improve overall child growth outcomes.
- Targeted support for low birth weight infants is crucial for achieving optimal growth trajectories.
Abstract:
An examination of length, weight, and birth weight data routinely collected from the clinics supported by the Navajo Nation Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) showed an association between birth weight and subsequent growth status. Navajo children less than 2 years of age entering the WIC Program were divided into low, normal, and high birth weight groups, and their growth patterns were plotted when they returned periodically for reassessment. Overall, the children tended to have low length-for-age and high weight-for-length measures, relative to the reference population, that suggest suboptimal nutritional status. Children with birth weights less than 2,500 grams (g) were consistently shorter, lighter, and thinner than children with birth weights greater than 2,500 g. Although the overall growth status of the children improved between 1975 and 1980, the growth among the children with low birth weights never fully caught up with that of the other Navajo children. Moreover, during that period, the normal birth weight group had a modest improvement in length-for-age relative to the reference population, but the low birth weight group did not. These findings suggest that prenatal interventions to improve the birth weight status of Navajo infants may result in improving the growth status of Navajo children.