Successive 1-Month Weight Increments in Infancy Can Be Used to Screen for Faltering Linear Growth

Linear growth faltering in the first 2 y contributes greatly to a high stunting burden, and prevention is hampered by the limited capacity in primary health care for timely screening and intervention. This study aimed to determine an approach to predicting long-term stunting from consecutive 1-mo we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of nutrition 2015-12, Vol.145 (12), p.2725-2731
Main Authors: Onyango, Adelheid W, Borghi, Elaine, de Onis, Mercedes, Frongillo, Edward A, Victora, Cesar G, Dewey, Kathryn G, Lartey, Anna, Bhandari, Nita, Baerug, Anne, Garza, Cutberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bangladesh - epidemiology
Body Height
Child, Preschool
Growth Disorders - diagnosis
Growth Disorders - epidemiology
Growth Disorders - prevention & control
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Malnutrition - complications
Mass Screening - methods
Reference Values
Risk Factors
Weight Gain - physiology
World Health Organization
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Summary:Linear growth faltering in the first 2 y contributes greatly to a high stunting burden, and prevention is hampered by the limited capacity in primary health care for timely screening and intervention. This study aimed to determine an approach to predicting long-term stunting from consecutive 1-mo weight increments in the first year of life. By using the reference sample of the WHO velocity standards, the analysis explored patterns of consecutive monthly weight increments among healthy infants. Four candidate screening thresholds of successive increments that could predict stunting were considered, and one was selected for further testing. The selected threshold was applied in a cohort of Bangladeshi infants to assess its predictive value for stunting at ages 12 and 24 mo. Between birth and age 12 mo, 72.6% of infants in the WHO sample tracked within 1 SD of their weight and length. The selected screening criterion ("event") was 2 consecutive monthly increments below the 15th percentile. Bangladeshi infants were born relatively small and, on average, tracked downward from approximately age 6 to
ISSN:0022-3166
1541-6100
DOI:10.3945/jn.115.211896