Low birth weight, developmental milestones, and behavioral problems in Chinese children and adolescents

Abstract

This study examined the association of low birth weight (LBW) and developmental milestones with behavioral and emotional problems in a general population sample of 3344 Chinese children and adolescents aged 6–16 years in 1997. Parents completed a self-administrated questionnaire including information about birth weight and developmental milestones (i.e. lifting the head up, tooth eruption, speech, walking and bedwetting cessation), and the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL). Teachers completed the Teacher's Report Form (TRF) to assess classroom behavior problems. Results indicated that LBW and delayed developmental milestones were significantly associated with an increased risk for almost all parent- and teacher-reported behavioral problems after controlling for the potential effects of child's gender, age and birth order, parental ages at birth, education, occupation, complications at birth and number of children in the family. LBW was significantly associated with delay in achieving all developmental milestones including lifting of the head, tooth eruption, sitting without support, walking without help, speech as saying words with meaning, and bedwetting cessation. It is concluded that LBW and delayed early childhood development may predict the occurrence of a wide range of behavioral and emotional problems in later childhood and adolescence.