Assessment of anthropometric measurements of premature children with physical developmental delays at preschool age

Abstract

Assessment of child growth and development is crucial for paediatricians, as delays in these areas have significant socio-economic implications and their treatment can be costly. Aim. To evaluate the anthropometric measurements of premature children with physical developmental delay at preschool age. Materials and methods. The retrospective and prospective studies were conducted. A total of 108 children participated in the study. The children were classified into three groups: the main group, the comparison group, and the control group. The average age of children in the main group was 3.9±0.20 years, in the comparison group it was 4.2±0.19 years, and in the control group - 4.1±0.15 years. The main group (group I, n=57) was further divided into two subgroups: subgroup IA comprised 45 children born with a body weight appropriate for gestational age, subgroup IB consisted of 12 children with low body weight for gestational age (LBWGA). The comparison group (group II; n=31) was also divided into two subgroups: subgroup IIA included 26 children born with a normal body weight for their gestational age, subgroup IIB consisted of five children born with a low body weight for their gestational age. The control group comprised 20 premature infants born at 29-36 weeks of gestation with relatively satisfactory antenatal and intrapartum periods and no physical developmental delays. Physical development was evaluated based on anthropometry measurements, including height and body weight. Results. The study included 57% male and 43% female children. Among the children with physical developmental delay, 37% were from the first gestation, 44.3% from the second gestation, and 18.7% from the third gestation. When analysing the data, a significant difference was found in height (p=0.0002) and body weight (p=0.0006). In the main group, children born with low body weight for gestational age showed more pronounced growth retardation, while in the comparison group, premature children differed from full-term ones with more significant growth retardation. Conclusions. The study revealed that children born with low birth weight for gestational age have differences in body weight and height compared to children with appropriate weight for gestational age. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee the aforementioned institution. Informed consent for the study was obtained from the parents of the children. The authors declare no conflict of interest.