Abstract
The association between birth month and neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorders has been investigated in a number of previous studies; however, the results have been inconsistent. This study investigated the association between birth month and child gross motor development at 6 and 12 months of age in a large cohort of infants (n = 72,203) participating in the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS). Gross motor development was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3). At 6 months and 12 months, 20.7% and 14.2%, respectively, had ASQ-3 indications of gross motor problems. Birth month was strongly associated with gross motor development at both time points, particularly at 6 months. Summer-born infants had the worst outcomes at both 6 months and 12 months of age. This outcome applied to the ASQ-3 score itself and to the adjusted Relative Risk (aRR), with the highest aRRs (relative to January-born) among August-born (aRR 2.51; 95%CI 2.27-2.78 at 6 months), and June-born (aRR 1.84; 95%CI 1.63-2.09 at 12 months). Boys had better scores than girls both at 6 and 12 months of age. We speculate that seasonal factors-such as maternal vitamin D deficiency and influenza infection-affecting the fetus in early pregnancy might account for the findings.
Highlights
Birth month is one of the factors affecting lifetime disease risk, and distinct patterns have been observed across various diseases including cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, and neurological problems [1]
The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between birth month and gross motor development at 6 and 12 months, utilizing the data from one of the world’s largest (100,000 participants) ongoing nationwide birth cohort studies, the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS)
The mean maternal age at enrollment for those included in the present sample was 30.8 years and 30.3 years for those excluded
Summary
Birth month is one of the factors affecting lifetime disease risk, and distinct patterns have been observed across various diseases including cardiovascular, respiratory, reproductive, and neurological problems [1].
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