title: A consideration of height as a function of prepregnancy nutritional background and its potential influence on birth weight.
abstract: The influence of height and delivery weight (pregravid and gestational gain), expressed as percent ideal weight for height, upon birth weight was examined in 696 uncomplicated term pregnancies. Each gravida was classified by delivery weight as short, average, or tall. Mean infant birth weight paralleled increasing maternal delivery weight percent in all three height groups, although the effect was most pronounced among gravidas of short stature (r = +0.997). In that group, a 10% increase in delivery weight was reflected by an increase of 127 gm in mean infant birth weight. Among gravidas of average stature, a 10% increase in delivery weight resulted in an increase of 74 gm in mean infant birth weight (r = +0.983). A 10% increase in delivery weight among gravidas of tall stature resulted in an increase of 87 gm in mean infant birth weight (r = +0.938). The incidence of both severe and moderate intrauterine growth retardation was found to be inversely proportional to increasing delivery weight percent among gravidas of short and average stature. Adequate pregravid weight and liberal gains appeared to augment optimal growth in all gravidas studied but were of particular benefit to the infant of the short gravida.
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy