Open AccessEarly growth velocities and weight gain plasticity improve linear growth in P eruvian infants
Author(s) -
Iannotti Lora L.,
Zavaleta Nelly,
Huasaquiche Clara,
Leon Zulema,
Caulfield Laura E.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
maternal and child nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1740-8709
pISSN - 1740-8695
DOI - 10.1111/j.1740-8709.2012.00453.x
Subject(s) - medicine , anthropometry , bayesian multivariate linear regression , growth velocity , weight gain , multivariate statistics , standard deviation , ordinary least squares , statistics , birth weight , demography , linear regression , pediatrics , body weight , mathematics , sociology , pregnancy , biology , genetics
Growth velocity patterns have the potential to signal unhealthy responses to environmental insults with long‐term consequences. We aimed to investigate velocities in P eruvian infants ( n = 259) in relation to attained anthropometric outcomes at 12 months and to identify determinants of velocities during critical periods of infancy. From 1995 to 1997, a randomised controlled trial of maternal zinc supplementation was conducted in a peri‐urban slum area of Lima. Infants were followed monthly through 1 year on a range of anthropometric measures. Three types of velocity variables were studied: (1) incremental velocity (1 months and 3 months); (2) proportional changes (% of total size gained/month); and (3) individual velocity variability [standard deviation ( SD ) of individual child incremental velocities]. Mean individual child SD of weight velocity was 417 g (±126). In multivariate ordinary least squares regression analyses, growth velocities in month 1 and individual weight velocity variability positively predicted attained length and weight by 12 months. Panel regression by generalised least‐squares with random effects of length and weight velocities confirmed the exponentially decelerating pace of growth through infancy and the importance of birth size in driving this trajectory. This study contributes evidence to support the importance of early growth velocities and greater degrees of weight gain plasticity for attained length and weight.