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The longitudinal effects of neonatal anthropometry on attention problems in males and females

Lars Meinertz Byg1,2, Carol Wang1,2, Jonathan J Hirst2,3

  • 1School of Medicine and Public Health University of Newcastle Newcastle NSW Australia.

JCPP Advances
|June 16, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Fetal growth, assessed by neonatal anthropometry, impacts attention problems differently in males and females. Males show vulnerability throughout childhood and adolescence, while females

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Health
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • The long-term effects of fetal growth on childhood attention problems are not well understood.
  • Neonatal anthropometry provides insights into fetal development and potential health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the longitudinal impact of fetal growth, assessed via neonatal anthropometry, on attention problems in males and females separately.
  • To identify sex-specific relationships between birth measurements and attention difficulties throughout development.

Main Methods:

  • Compared neonatal anthropometry (birth weight, head circumference, etc.) with parent-reported attention problems (Child Behavior Checklist - Attention Problem scale) from age 5 to 17.
  • Utilized linear mixed-effects modeling, with sensitivity analyses excluding preterm births and using teacher ratings.

Main Results:

  • In males, lower birth weight and head circumference were associated with increased attention problems. A U-shaped relationship was observed between head-to-abdominal circumference ratio and attention problems.
  • In females, lower head circumference was linked to attention problems in childhood, with the effect diminishing with age. No clear associations were found for birth weight, proportion of optimal birthweight, or head-to-abdominal circumference ratio.
  • Ponderal index was not significantly associated with attention problems in either sex.

Conclusions:

  • Neonatal anthropometry indicates a male vulnerability to attention problems persisting through adolescence.
  • Attention problem associations with fetal growth markers in females appear primarily confined to childhood.
  • Findings highlight sex-specific developmental trajectories concerning fetal growth and attention regulation.
Abstract

Keywords:
attentionbirth weightchildhood behavior checklistdevelopmental origins of health and diseasehead circumferencelongitudinal cohortponderal indexproportion of optimal birthweight

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