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Updated: Apr 3, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Body Composition of Preschool Children Born Term Versus Late-Preterm: A Follow-Up Study of Two Birth Cohorts
Dilip Kumar1, Priyanka Gupta2, Brijesh Kumar2
1Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Insights
Late-preterm born children had lower birth measurements but comparable body composition by preschool age. This study tracked body composition differences between term and late-preterm children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Human Growth and Development
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Late-preterm birth (34-36 weeks gestation) is common and may impact long-term health.
- Body composition differences established at birth may persist or resolve during early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the body composition of term-born versus late-preterm-born children at preschool age (3-5 years).
Main Methods:
- Assessed anthropometry, fat mass (FM), FM%, fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass (FFM), and fat-free mass index (FFMI) using air displacement plethysmography.
- Included 3-5-year-old children from term and late-preterm birth cohorts, excluding those with chronic illness or neurodevelopmental disability.
- Ensured all included children were appropriate for gestational age.
Main Results:
- At birth, late-preterm infants had lower FM, FFM, FMI, and FFMI compared to term-born infants.
- At preschool age, height-for-age Z-score, BMI-for-age Z-score, FM%, and FFMI were comparable between the two groups.
- The change in weight-for-age Z-score from birth to preschool age positively correlated with FM% in both groups.
Conclusions:
- While late-preterm children were smaller with lower FMI and FFMI at birth, their anthropometric parameters and body composition were similar to term-born children by preschool age.
- This suggests catch-up growth in body composition occurs for late-preterm infants by 3-5 years of age.
Objective:
To compare the body composition of term- versus late-preterm-born children at preschool age.
Methods:
Anthropometry, fat mass (FM), FM%, fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass (FFM), and fat-free mass index (FFMI) using air displacement plethysmography were assessed in 3-5-year-old children from two birth cohorts (term and late-preterm). Only children who were appropriate for gestational age were included. Children with any chronic illness or neurodevelopmental disability were excluded.
Results:
Twenty-five term-born and 22 late-preterm-born children were enrolled. Their mean (SD) birth weight, gestational age, and current age were 3.0 (0.2) versus 2.4 (0.3) kg, 38.6 (0.6) versus 35.2 (0.8) weeks, and 47.7 (5.0) versus 45.1 (3.6) months, respectively. At birth, the preterm-born infants had lower FM, FFM, FMI, as well as FFMI compared to term-born infants. Their height-for-age Z-score [-0.9 (-1.7, -0.5) vs. - 1.0 (- 1.7, - 0.4), P = 0.773], body mass index-for-age Z-score [- 0.6 (- 1.3, 0.6) vs. - 0.8 (- 1.3, - 0.0), P = 0.586], FM% [18.6 (9.7) vs. 17.5 (8.4), P = 0.709], and FFMI [12.1 (1.3) vs. 11.9 (1.1) kg/m2, P = 0.645] at 3-5 years were comparable. The change in weight-for-age Z-score from birth to the current age correlated positively with FM% in both groups.
Conclusions:
Compared to the term group, the late-preterm group was smaller in all anthropometric parameters and had lower FMI as well as FFMI at birth; however, the anthropometric parameters and body composition were comparable at preschool age.
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