Growth of Filipino infants who differ in body proportions at birth

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Growth of infants who differ in body proportions at birth was followed during the first 12 months of life. The sample of 2,695 infants from Metropolitan Cebu, in the Central Philippines, was divided into five groups based on a cross tabulation of low‐birth‐weight(LBW) status (2,500 g or less) with low (90th percentile)Rohre's Index (RI). The groups exhibited significant differences in growth patterns. The importance of these groups, which reflect weight and body proportions of the infant at birth as a determinant of attained size at 2, 6, and 12 months of age, was evaluated by using multivariate techniques which took into consideration other factors known to affect growth. Results show that intergroup differences in growth patterns and attained size occur because of (1) differences in postnatal growth potential represented by weight and body proportions at birth, (2) differences in the important biological inputs that affect postnatal growth (such as feeding practices and morbidity), and (3) differences in the effects of inputs on growth. Infants who are LBW but well proportioned are most likely to remain small during the first year of life, while those with a low RI at birth are more capable of catch‐up growth.