Application of International Standards for Assessing Physical Development of Newborns in a Large Agro-Industrial Center by Seasons of the Year on the Example of the City of Barnaul

Abstract

Introduction: An important health indicator of a newborn available for measurement immediately after birth is the extent of physical development, which reflects individual sex and physique characteristics, various climatic, geographical, and socio-economic living conditions. Objective: To assess physical development of newborns in a large agro-industrial center using international standards that take into account gestational age by months of the year. Materials and methods: We examined archived medical records of women who gave birth in 2014 in the city of Barnaul to analyze anthropometric parameters of 2,019 newborns (788 girls and 1,231 boys), their gestational age, and medical histories of the mothers. All pregnancies were singleton; no congenital malformations were registered in the sample. The analysis of the correspondence of anthropometric parameters of the child at birth to the gestational age and assessment of physical development were carried out using sex-specific INTERGROWTH-21st charts by the seasons of the year. Results: We established some seasonal variations in the body weight of newborns requiring a more detailed monitoring assessment. Conclusion: The use of international standards for assessing physical development of newborns will allow an in-depth consideration of the problem of children’s health maintenance since they take into account gestational age, thus enabling early diagnosis of developmental abnormalities.