Abstract
ObjectiveTo study the evolution of the height and weight growth of low-birth-weight children (LBW) monitored in the nutrition department of the centre hospitalier universitaire mère et enfant lagune in Cotonou, Benin in the absence of national data. MethodThe cross-sectional retrospective and descriptive study, conducted from January to April 2022, covered LBW children aged three to six months who had received at least three regular nutritional follow-ups from birth. Data on birth, anthropometric characteristics at one, two, three, and six months, and children's dietary data were collected through interview with their mothers/guardians and through counting of follow-up records. ResultsAll of the LBW children included (n=51), had a higher height & weight gain among girls. The mean BMI/age z-score was higher in girls compared to boys at three and six months (P<0.05). There was no difference between the mean z-scores of children at three months versus six months (–1.5 vs –1.6). Three-month nutritional catch-up growth was higher compared to six months (83.3% vs 38.5%), P<0.001. Children receiving exclusive breastfeeding-EBF (80%) had doubled their birth weights at three months, however we found no difference between the three-month and six-month catch-up growth rates depending on the breastfeeding. ConclusionThis study showed that LBW children have a height and-weight gain after birth, and EBF promotes good catch-up growth in children at three months of age. Intensified interventions to promote breastfeeding should be encouraged, as should monitoring of child growth.
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