Standards of intrauterine growth for an African population at sea level

Abstract

Intrauterine growth standards for birth weight, crown-heel length, crown-rump length, and head and chest circumference are presented for 436 newborn African infants between 25 and 42 weeks' gestational age. They were delivered by healthy, well-to-do Nigerian mothers who lived at sea level. The mean measurements at each week of gestation compare favorably with a similarly derived standard for Caucasian infants reported from Montreal, Canada. The high incidence of low-birth-weight infants reported from various centers in Africa may be caused by environmental rather than racial or genetic factors. Intrauterine growth standards for birth weight, crown-heel length, crown-rump length, and head and chest circumference are presented for 436 newborn African infants between 25 and 42 weeks' gestational age. They were delivered by healthy, well-to-do Nigerian mothers who lived at sea level. The mean measurements at each week of gestation compare favorably with a similarly derived standard for Caucasian infants reported from Montreal, Canada. The high incidence of low-birth-weight infants reported from various centers in Africa may be caused by environmental rather than racial or genetic factors.