Paternal height and weight as determinants of birth weight in a Chinese population

To evaluate the relationship between paternal weight and height and birth weight, 355 middle class patients with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies who booked within the first trimester were recruited from a homogenous obstetric population from a teaching hospital unit. Maternal height and prepregnant maternal weight were recorded at the booking visit. Paternal height and weight were recorded when the fathers entered the labor ward or visited the postnatal ward at or shortly after the time of delivery. These data were then correlated with the birth weight of the babies. There was a significant correlation between paternal height and weight and the corresponding maternal parameters (correlation coefficients 0.21, p<0.001 and 0.21, p < 0 > 0.01). When the crude birth weight was adjusted for the gestation at delivery, and then controlled for maternal height and weight with the use of a regression model, analysis of variance tests showed that paternal height was significantly correlated to the adjusted birth weight (p<0.01), while paternal weight only showed a marginal correlation (p = 0.05). There was a significant correlation between maternal and paternal height and weight, indicating that couples tend to be of similar sizes. When controlling for maternal size, paternal height was significantly correlated to birth weight, while paternal weight showed only marginal significance. The data suggested that paternal genetic influence could be a significant determinant of in utero fetal growth and thus birth weight.