Subsequent pregnancy affects nutritional status of previous child: a study from Bhutan

In a rural area of Bhutan, anthropometric measurements of 113 children and interviews with their mothers were carried out monthly for 32 months. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of a mother's subsequent pregnancy on growth in weight of her last-born child. The children whose mothers had a subsequent birth interval of 18-30 months were matched for date of birth with children whose mothers did not become pregnant. Growth of the children during the subsequent pregnancy was compared with growth during the same period of children whose mothers were not pregnant. A statistically significant reduction of 28% was found (p < 0.05), which was most pronounced in early pregnancy. A similar trend was found for change in mid-upper-arm circumference (p < 0.05). The study provides evidence of a causal relationship between a moderate subsequent pregnancy interval and a concurrent reduction in growth rate for the previous child.