Birth weight, physical growth and body composition in children: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Objective To describe children’s physical growth (body mass and height) velocity and body composition (fat percentage and Fat Free Mass); to investigate the magnitude of interindividual differences according to age, gender and birth weight categories, as well as to examine the differences in the average trajectories of children with Low Birth Weight and Normal Weight according to international references. Methods The sample consisted of 534 children (279 boys and 255 girls, 7 to 10 years old) evaluated in the first year of study and followed for 3 years with overlap between the ages of 7 and 9 years. Physical growth and body composition measurements included: height, body mass, fat percentage (%Fat) and Fat Free Mass. Multilevel Modelling was used. Results Birth weight was not associated with physical growth and body composition markers at 7 years old or with the velocity of their changes (p>0.05). There were significant interindividual differences in the trajectories of physical growth (height and body mass; p<0.001) and body composition (%Fat and Fat Free Mass; p<0.001). In plotting on international percentile charts, the trajectories of growth and body composition were within expected values for age and gender, regardless of birth weight. Conclusion There are significant differences in the dynamics of stature growth, body mass and Fat Free Mass, and Low Birth Weight has no influence on this trajectory. In addition, values are within the expected range for age and sex.

Inter‐individual variability in children's physical growth and body composition: Findings of longitudinal ELOS‐Pré study

“…In this context, Ayyavoo et al (2014), also reported sex‐related differences in the effect of body composition programming, reporting more body fat, less fat‐free mass, and greater abdominal adiposity in girls compared to boys. This demonstrates, in a way, a degree of heterogeneity, mainly concerning body composition, which can be explained by differences in the rate at which child growth occurs in this age range (dos Santos et al, 2018).…”

“…A previous study, although with a cross‐sectional design, showed that children with LBW were lighter and smaller than their peers, with reduced indices for weight‐for‐age and height‐for‐age (Tchamo et al, 2017). In another study with a longitudinal design developed by dos Santos et al (2018), it was observed that LBW alone does not appear to be a sensitive marker of dynamic changes in the trajectories of physical growth and body composition of children from 7 to 10 years of age. However, studies have reported the existence of significant relationships between birth weight and weight gain in childhood, especially in fat‐free mass, % BF, and body fat distribution, although there are no implications for gains in height (Okosun et al, 2000; Walker et al, 2002; Wells, 2017; Wells et al, 2005).…”

“…Their results showed that infants and young adults born by cesarean delivery had higher mean values for waist circumference and skinfolds compared to individuals born through vaginal delivery. In this scenario, although the existence of these relationships is reported, the human organism seems to adopt adaptive growth strategies, integrating various components of phenotypic sensitivity to environmental stimuli, so that the variables of the current environment appear to have a greater association with specific components of body composition than birth weight and type of delivery (dos Santos et al, 2018; Huh et al, 2012; Wells, 2010).…”

“…However, these differences seem somewhat uncertain when considering sex and changes resulting from physical growth. On the other hand, dos Santos et al (2018) observed that birth weight did not influence the velocity of physical growth and body composition of children followed longitudinally from 7 to 10 years of age. However, the results from the multilevel analysis for body weight and height in boys and girls, show that their gains have occurred at different rates from 7 to 10 years of age.…”

“…Although, for height, there is no relationship between these values at 7 years of age and the growth velocity. On the other hand, for body weight, the relationship was significant, meaning that the greater weight at 7 years, the greater will be the weight gains with increasing age (dos Santos et al, 2018).…”