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Updated: Jul 1, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Head circumference at birth and postnatal growth trajectory in vulnerable groups from Argentina
Tomás González Garello1, Jimena Barbeito-Andrés2, Adriana Pérez1
1Grupo de Bioestadística Aplicada, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Insights
Infants with intrauterine growth restriction show faster head circumference recovery than length growth. This supports the brain-sparing hypothesis, indicating prioritized brain development post-birth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric growth and development
- Human anthropometry
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can impact infant development.
- The brain-sparing hypothesis suggests preferential blood flow to the brain during fetal stress.
- Postnatal growth patterns may differ based on birth anthropometry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between birth anthropometric status and infant growth in head circumference (HC) and length.
- To test the brain-sparing hypothesis regarding catch-up growth rates in HC versus length.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of Argentinian infants (<12 months) with at least three anthropometric measurements.
- Classification into four growth status categories based on birth z-scores for HC and length (threshold z = -2).
- Count model used to analyze growth trajectories and recovery times for HC and length.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in growth parameters were observed across all groups (p < 0.05).
- Infants with low HC z-score (HCZ) and low length z-score (LAZ) at birth exhibited faster HC recovery than length recovery.
- Newborns with isolated low HCZ or low LAZ showed faster HC recovery compared to length recovery.
Conclusions:
- Postnatal growth trajectories for HC and length are linked to their respective birth measurements.
- The study confirms the brain-sparing hypothesis, showing faster postnatal HC recovery in infants experiencing intrauterine growth delays.
Objectives:
To investigate the association between the anthropometric status at birth and brain and bone growth during the first year of life. According to the brain-sparing hypothesis, we expect catch-up to be faster in head circumference (HC) than in body length.
Methods:
This is a longitudinal design that included Argentinian infants under 12 months of age with at least three anthropometric records. We classified study participants into four growth status categories according to z-scores for HC (HCZ) and length (LAZ) at birth, with z-score = -2 as a threshold. We used the Count model to describe growth trajectories in HC and length in the first year of life according to the growth status at birth. Recovery indicator for HC and length was taken as the time until the predicted growth trajectory surpassed the threshold curve predicted by z-score = -2 for age.
Results:
Growth models included 3399 infants. There were significant differences in the growth parameters between groups in all cases (p < 0.05). Within the group with a low HCZ and a low LAZ at birth, HC recovery was faster than length. In the case of a low z-score for only one of the variables, newborns with a low HCZ recovered faster than individuals born with a low LAZ.
Conclusions:
The postnatal growth pattern in HC and length is associated with the growth status of HC and length at birth. As we hypothesized, the fastest postnatal recovery occurs for HC in cases of intrauterine delayed growth.
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