Intrauterine growth standards for Hong Kong Chinese

Intrauterine growth standards for Hong Kong Chinese were derived from birth-weight data between 28 and 42 weeks' gestation in 15,815 livebirths delivered in 1982 to 1984 at 2 maternity teaching hospitals in Hong Kong. Normal distribution of birth-weights was noted in each of the gestational weeks studied. The mean birth-weight was 3,237g at 40 weeks which was similar to the mean weights reported in other populations for this gestation. The trend of the median weight curve was also similar to that in other Caucasian and Asian reports. The growth pattern for males and females were similar and males were on the whole heavier than females throughout the gestational period studied. At 40 weeks, the 10th percentile weight also showed wide variations between reports, which would have important bearing on the studying of intrauterine growth retardation. When the mean weight at term as derived from the present study was compared to a previous report on birth-weight data in 1970-1972 in the same hospital, a significant increase in birth-weight was observed over the 12-year period. The importance of having up-to-date intrauterine weight standards for a specific population is discussed.