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Faltering in infant growth in Khartoum province, Sudan
F Y Zumrawi1, H Dimond, J C Waterlow
1Faculty of Education, University of Khartoum, Republic of the Sudan.
Insights
Early infant growth faltering affects 50% of babies by 16 weeks, despite varied feeding patterns. While average growth is satisfactory, some infants experience unacceptably low growth trajectories.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Human Growth and Development
- Infant Nutrition
Background:
- Infant growth faltering is a concern in pediatric care.
- Understanding growth patterns and feeding practices is crucial for infant health.
- International growth references are used to assess infant development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate infant growth patterns in the first months of life.
- To define and quantify 'faltering' in weight and length gain.
- To examine the relationship between feeding patterns and infant growth.
Main Methods:
- Recruitment of 400 infants at birth with bi-weekly follow-up visits.
- Recording of infant weight, length, and morbidity at each visit.
- Definition of 'faltering' as weight gain below -1 standard deviation for two consecutive periods.
Main Results:
- Growth in weight and length fell below international references by 5 months for many infants.
- Fifty percent of infants showed 'faltering' by 16 weeks of age.
- Minor differences in growth were observed between exclusively breast-fed and supplemented infants.
Conclusions:
- Significant variability exists in infant feeding patterns and growth within the studied population.
- While average infant growth was satisfactory, a notable minority experienced growth below acceptable levels.
- Monitoring infant growth and feeding is essential to identify and support infants at risk.
Abstract:
Four hundred babies were recruited at birth and visited at intervals of 2 weeks. At each visit weight, length and morbidity were recorded. Growth in weight and length began to fall below the international reference by 5 months. 'Faltering' was defined as a weight gain less than the reference -1 s.d. for two consecutive 2-week periods. Fifty per cent of children had begun to falter by 16 weeks. Initially almost all the children were exclusively breast-fed. The mothers were neither encouraged nor discouraged from introducing supplementary food; 50 per cent had done so by 16 weeks. There were only minor differences in attained weight, length, weight gain and length gain between supplemented and unsupplemented children. The results emphasize the wide variability in this population both in feeding patterns and in growth from period to period. Although the average outcome was satisfactory, this average conceals a minority whose growth was unacceptably low.