Weight-for-length reference data for preterm, low-birth-weight infants
S. S. Guo, K. Wholihan, A. F. Roche, W. C. Chumlea and P. H. Casey
Department of Community Health, Wright State University, School of Medicine, Yellow Springs, Ohio, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To provide weight-for-length reference data for preterm,
very-low-birth-weight and low-birth-weight infants. DESIGN: Data from 867
infants (428 boys and 439 girls) in the Infant Health and Development
Program, who each were preterm and who had a low birth weight, were used to
develop weight-for-length reference data. The Infant Health and Development
Program is a national, randomized, clinical trial that included various
ethnic groups at 8 sites. At each site, sampling ensured that two thirds of
the infants in the study weighed 2000 g or less and that one third of the
infants weighed from 2001 to 2500 g at birth. Infants were examined at
birth, at 40 weeks' postconception, and at 4, 8, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36
months' gestation-adjusted age. Gestation-adjusted age was used instead of
chronological age from birth to correct for the degree of prematurity.
RESULTS: Weight-for-length percentiles are given for lengths at 3-cm
intervals ranging from 48 to 100 cm. These percentiles are sex specific and
are for a very-low-birth-weight group (< or = 1500 g) and a
low-birth-weight group (1501-2500 g). CONCLUSIONS: These data should assist
screening for deviations from normal growth and may aid in the early
detection of failure to thrive and excessive weight gain in infancy.
