Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 5, 2025

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
07:56

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Published on: January 29, 2018

17.6K

Relationship between Birth Order and Postnatal Growth until 4 Years of Age: The Japan Environment and Children's

Aya Yoshida1, Kayo Kaneko2, Kohei Aoyama1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya 4670001, Japan.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 29, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Later-born children show reduced growth in early childhood compared to first-borns. This birth order effect increases the risk of short stature by age four.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Later-born children are often shorter than first-borns in childhood and adulthood.
  • Large-scale prospective studies on infant growth by birth order are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between birth order and growth during the first four years of life.
  • To examine the relationship between birth order and the risk of short stature in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • A Japanese prospective birth cohort study included 26,249 full-term singleton births.
  • General linear and multivariable logistic regression models were used for analysis.
  • Adjustments were made for multiple confounding factors including birth weight, parental height, and socioeconomic status.

Main Results:

  • Later-borns exhibited significantly lower length Z-scores from birth through 10 months compared to first-borns without siblings.
  • This growth difference persisted up to 4 years of age.
  • The adjusted odds ratio for short stature at 4 years increased with birth order, with third-borns or more having a 1.50 times higher risk compared to first-borns without siblings.

Conclusions:

  • Birth order is significantly associated with postnatal growth in children.
  • Later birth order may be a predisposing factor for short stature in early childhood.

Keywords:
birth orderearly childhoodheightprospective cohort studyshort stature

More Related Videos

Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable09:24

Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable

Published on: May 17, 2024

1.5K
Breast Milk Enhances Growth of Enteroids: An Ex Vivo Model of Cell Proliferation09:02

Breast Milk Enhances Growth of Enteroids: An Ex Vivo Model of Cell Proliferation

Published on: February 15, 2018

19.5K

Related Concept Videos

Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
20.6K
Signs of Puberty01:27

Signs of Puberty

Puberty is a critical phase, typically beginning between the ages of 8 and 13 in girls and 9 and 14 in boys, though timing can vary based on genetics, environmental factors, and overall health. This period is characterized by the development of secondary sexual characteristics and the attainment of reproductive potential. Endocrine changes underpin puberty, with hormonal surges of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) instigated by Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH)...
493
Biological Influences on Intelligence01:30

Biological Influences on Intelligence

Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
166
Psychosexual Theory of Development01:14

Psychosexual Theory of Development

Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory of development suggests that early childhood experiences significantly shape personality and behavior. Freud proposed that development is discontinuous, occurring in five distinct stages, each defined by a focus on different erogenous zones. He believed that failure to resolve the conflicts specific to each stage successfully could result in fixation, potentially influencing behavior as adults.
The Five Stages of Psychosexual Development
Freud's...
400
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
697
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age01:09

Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age

The upper and lower limb initially develops as a small bulge called a limb bud, which appears on the lateral side of the early embryo. The upper limb bud appears near the end of the fourth week of development, with the lower limb bud appearing shortly after.
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
2.1K