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Growth in the first four years: IV. Correlations with parental measures in small-for-dates and large-for-dates babies
Insights
Parent-child correlations for growth metrics like weight and head circumference vary significantly based on birth size. These findings suggest that standardized growth charts may be misleading for some children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Genetics
- Human Growth and Development
Background:
- Understanding genetic and environmental influences on child growth is crucial for accurate health assessments.
- Parent-child correlations provide insights into the heritability of growth parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parent-child correlations for weight, height, and head circumference in children of different birth sizes (small-for-dates, average-for-dates, large-for-dates).
- To assess how these correlations change from birth to 4 years of age.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study tracking 212 small-for-dates (SFD), 208 average-for-dates (AFD), and 221 large-for-dates (LFD) children.
- Measurements of weight, height, and head circumference were taken on eight occasions between birth and 4 years.
- Parent-child correlations were calculated for mothers and fathers separately within each birth size group.
Main Results:
- Weight correlations were initially low but increased over time in SFD and AFD groups, and for fathers in the LFD group.
- Mothers and LFD children showed no weight correlation at any age.
- Length correlations gradually increased for all groups and parents.
- Head circumference correlations were high at birth in AFD and LFD groups, remaining stable.
- SFD children showed a delayed but significant mother-child head circumference correlation starting at 18 months; no correlation was observed with SFD fathers.
Conclusions:
- Parent-child correlations for growth parameters differ based on birth weight status.
- Growth standards adjusted for parental measurements may be misleading for certain children, particularly SFD infants.
- These findings highlight the complex interplay of genetics and early environmental factors in child development.
Abstract:
Parent-child correlations for weight, height and head circumference on eight occasions between birth and 4 years were estimated within groups of 212 small-for-dates (SFD), 208 average-for-dates (AFD) and 221 large-for-dates (LFD) children. For mothers and fathers in the SFD and AFD groups, and fathers in the LFD group, correlations for weight were generally low in the first year, with moderate increases up to 4 years. No correlations for weight at any age were found between mothers and LFD children. There was a gradual rise in correlations for length in all three groups for both mothers and fathers between birth and 4 years. Head circumference correlations in the AFD and LFD groups were relatively high at birth and showed little change thereafter. Mother-child correlations for head circumference in the SFD group were absent at birth, but then rose sharply to a value comparable with the AFD parents' correlations at 18 months, with the little change thereafter. No SFD father-child correlations for head circumference were found at any age. Children's standards of weight and head circumference adjusted for mid-parental measures would, in some cases, be misleading.