The Relationship Between Children's Birth Time and Short Stature

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Shuo Wang1, Na Shao2, Yiyi Ding2

  • 1Department of Neonatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Frontiers in Pediatrics
|February 21, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Children born in summer have a reduced risk of short stature. Birth timing influences children's height, with specific day-of-year patterns affecting short stature risk.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Endocrinology
  • Growth and Development

Background:

  • Limited research exists on the association between birth timing and childhood short stature.
  • Understanding this relationship is crucial for pediatric growth assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential association between the time of birth and the incidence of short stature in children.
  • To explore linear and non-linear relationships between birth date and height standard deviation score (SDS).

Main Methods:

  • Data from 462 children (aged 2-14) including height, BMI, and serum 25(OH)D levels were analyzed.
  • Multivariate logistic regression, smooth curve fitting, and threshold effect analyses were employed.
  • Children were assessed for short stature based on height SDS and other clinical parameters.

Main Results:

  • Children born in summer showed a significantly lower risk of short stature compared to those born in spring (OR: 0.435).
  • A non-linear relationship was observed: risk of short stature decreased daily from day 1 to 250 (OR: 0.994) and increased from day 250 to 365 (OR: 1.008).
  • Vitamin D insufficiency was more prevalent in the short stature group (38.91%).

Conclusions:

  • Seasonal birth patterns, specifically summer birth, are associated with a reduced risk of short stature.
  • The sequential day of the year demonstrates a complex, non-linear association with short stature risk.
  • These findings suggest birth timing may be a factor in pediatric growth and development.
Abstract

Keywords:
birth timechildrenseasonshort staturesmooth curve fitting

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