Abstract
<i>Background:</i> Babies having low birth weight are comparatively more susceptible to infection and are unable to grow to their full potential of physical and mental development. This often lead to high infant morbidity and mortality. Hence, it becomes important to identify the low birth weight infants and offer them adequate care. This study was carried in the District of Howrah. This study was conductedmong 732 LBW survivors and 314 NBW controls from birth to nine months of age. Their growth trends (weight, length, head and chest circumferences) were followed and compared. <i>Objectives:</i> The physical growth pattern of low birth weight and normal birth weight babies under study were compared, relative influence of certain variables on the catch up growth of LBW infants were to be determined and the catch up growth in terms of increments in Height, Length, Weight, Head and Chest Circumferences were analyzed. <i>Results:</i> The catch-up growth among the LBW infants in almost all the anthropometric measurements were of lower values as compared to their NBW counterparts. However the increments in growth were seen to be higher in different months of age for different measurements. The catch-up growth was contributed by gestational age, birth weight, birth length, birth head and chest circumferences. Regarding catch-up growth, length, head circumference and chest circumference were the parameters to start up early as in the 1<sup>st</sup> month in case of chest circumference followed by length and head circumference in the 2<sup>nd</sup> month of age. Weight was quite late as much as 4<sup>th</sup> month. LBW babies were much closer to their NBW counterparts in the 6<sup>th</sup> month in all the parameters under this study.
Highlights
In India, low birth weight has been of a high incidence and the subsequent morbidity and mortality continues to be of a major issue in the domain of public health intervention
The results reveal that in general the preterm infants experienced faster rates in terms of growth increment compared to the IUGR infants
As comparisons were made in context of the growth pattern, between the preterm and IUGR infants, it was observed that the parameters considered here, weight (Table 2), length (Table 4), Head circumference (Table 6) and chest circumference (Table 8), show lower values in all the parameters for the preterm infants than the IUGR infants
Summary
In India, low birth weight has been of a high incidence and the subsequent morbidity and mortality continues to be of a major issue in the domain of public health intervention. The determinants of the growth and development of the low birth weight infants are mostly socio-economic, and the effects of the birth weight are reflected in the growth and development of the infants [4, 24]. Majority of the LBW infants show accelerated growth, or catch up growth as it is termed Most of this catch up growth takes place during 6 to 12 months of life both in terms of weight and/or length, [20, 25]. The present study analyses catch up growth and its determinants in a group of LBW infants followed up longitudinally from birth to 9 months of age. To compare the physical growth pattern of low birth weight and normal birth weight babies under study. Arpita Mandal Nandi: Catch-up Growth of Low Birth Weight Infants: A Study Among the Infants Born in the Backward Areas of Howrah c. To analyze the catch up growth in terms of increments in Height, Length, Weight, Head Circumference and Chest Circumference
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
