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Weight-for-length reference data for preterm, low-birth-weight infants
S S Guo1, K Wholihan, A F Roche
1Department of Community Health, Wright State University, School of Medicine, Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA.
Insights
This study provides essential weight-for-length reference data for preterm infants, aiding in the early detection of growth deviations in both very-low-birth-weight and low-birth-weight infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Growth Monitoring
- Neonatal Development Research
- Infant Health Assessment
Background:
- Accurate growth monitoring is crucial for preterm infants.
- Existing reference data may not adequately cover very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) and low-birth-weight (LBW) populations.
- Standardized weight-for-length data is needed for these vulnerable infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish comprehensive weight-for-length reference data for preterm infants.
- To differentiate reference data for very-low-birth-weight (< or = 1500 g) and low-birth-weight (1501-2500 g) infants.
- To support clinical assessment of infant growth trajectories.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 867 preterm infants (428 male, 439 female) from the Infant Health and Development Program.
- Data collection included birth, 40 weeks' postconception, and multiple gestation-adjusted ages up to 36 months.
- Gestational age adjustment was employed to account for prematurity.
Main Results:
- Weight-for-length percentiles generated for lengths ranging from 48 to 100 cm in 3-cm intervals.
- Reference data is sex-specific for both very-low-birth-weight and low-birth-weight infant groups.
- Data provides a detailed distribution of weight relative to length for targeted infant populations.
Conclusions:
- The developed reference data can aid in screening for abnormal growth patterns.
- Facilitates early identification of failure to thrive in infants.
- Assists in detecting excessive weight gain during infancy.
Objective:
To provide weight-for-length reference data for preterm, very-low-birth-weight and low-birth-weight infants.
Design:
Data from 867 infants (428 boys and 439 girls) in the Infant Health and Development Program, who each were preterm and who had a low birth weight, were used to develop weight-for-length reference data. The Infant Health and Development Program is a national, randomized, clinical trial that included various ethnic groups at 8 sites. At each site, sampling ensured that two thirds of the infants in the study weighed 2000 g or less and that one third of the infants weighed from 2001 to 2500 g at birth. Infants were examined at birth, at 40 weeks' postconception, and at 4, 8, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months' gestation-adjusted age. Gestation-adjusted age was used instead of chronological age from birth to correct for the degree of prematurity.
Results:
Weight-for-length percentiles are given for lengths at 3-cm intervals ranging from 48 to 100 cm. These percentiles are sex specific and are for a very-low-birth-weight group (< or = 1500 g) and a low-birth-weight group (1501-2500 g).
Conclusions:
These data should assist screening for deviations from normal growth and may aid in the early detection of failure to thrive and excessive weight gain in infancy.