Effect of various prenatal determinants on size and growth through seven years

Abstract

As shown in 1368 out of 45,879 black and white participants in the Collaborative Perinatal Project (NCPP) of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS) there is a very large and consistent difference in size between children grouped on the basis of maternal prepregnancy weight, maternal stature and birth size. Through the seventh year, boys and girls “high” in these developmental determinants averaged at and above the 85th percentile for size while children categorized as “low” in these prenatal determinants grew along the 15th percentile line both on the “New” Growth Charts and the NINCDS percentiles. These determinants, therefore, are important in evaluating growth progress during infancy and childhood and may be crucial in nutritional assessment.