A comparative study on growth indicators of children born with low birth weight and normal birth weight in 2 years after birth

Abstract

Introduction: Low birth weight (LBW, birth weight <2500 g) is a significant health problem of children. Many studies have made it apparent that there is a direct relationship between low birth weight and infant mortality. One of the most important measurements to prevent children morbidity is growth monitoring. The present study was set up to compare the growth indices of 2 year-old children born with low weight with those in children weighting 2500 g and more at birth (normal birth weight, NBW).

Methods: This research was a retrospective cohort study and the samples included 218 two year-old infants (109 LBW infants, 109 NBW infants). Selection criteria for the LBW and NBW infants included birth weight <2500 g and 2500-4000 g, respectively. Absence of congenital anomalies and born from singleton pregnancies were other inclusion criteria for all infants. Data were collected in questionnaires. The recorded measurements of weight, height and head circumference, 2 years after birth were extracted from their health files. Statistical analysis was carried out through t-test and chi-square test.

Results: Our findings revealed that two-year-old LBW children had a statistically significant lower body weight, shorter height, smaller head circumferences and lower weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-­height indices than two-year-old NBW children. Moreover, the weight percentile of two-year-old LBW children was lower than that in two-year-old NBW group.

Conclusion: The data suggest that low birth weight adversely affects child's growth in early life. Therefore, LBW infants require special attention on growth follow up and monitoring after birth.

Key words: Children Growth, Growth Percentile, Low Birth Weight.