Effect of socioeconomic status on body length of Pakistani infants during first year of life.

Abstract

The object of this paper is to study the growth pattern of body length of Pakistani infants belonging to different socioeconomic groups. A total of 916 infants born in various hospitals and who had no congenital abnormalities were included in the study. Body length was recorded within 24 hours of birth and every 30 + or - 2 days thereafter in a longitudinal fashion throughout the 1st year of life. Results show that male infants were taller than females at all ages. Statistical analysis of the data indicate that irrespective of sex infants belonging to high socioeconomic status had significantly (P0.01) greater length than those of medium and low socioeconomic status and infants belonging to medium socioeconomic status were significantly (P0.01) longer than those of the low socioeconomic group. Rate of increase in length was slightly better than the Harvard standard during the 1st 5 months. However later growth curves of Pakistani infants ran in between the 3rd and 50th percentiles of the Harvard standard. It is suggested that the values for body length of local infants belonging to high socioeconomic status may be adopted as local standards for the 1st 12 months of life.