Social variations in infant growth performance in Severodvinsk, Northwest Russia: community-based cohort study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine infant growth characteristics and their socio-demographic determinants in Severodvinsk, northwest Russia.


METHODS
Length-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-length Z-scores of 1,067 infants born in 1999-2000 in Severodvinsk were calculated on the basis of the data on the length and weight obtained from the medical files. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate independent effects of maternal age, education, occupation, marital status, weight, parity, sex of the baby, and breastfeeding duration on infant growth.


RESULTS
At the age of 12 months, 1.1% of the infants were stunted, 1.1% underweight, and 0.5% wasted in comparison with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 reference population. The mean Z-scores for length-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-length were 0.48+/-0.93, 0.38+/-1.04, and 0.65+/-1.03, respectively. Mean weight-for-length Z-scores considerably increased from birth to 12 months, while length-for-age Z-score remained largely unchanged. In regression analysis, length-for-age Z-scores were lower by 0.43 (p=0.028) and by 0.30 (p<0.001) in infants born to mothers with basic and unknown education, respectively. Positive trends between linear growth and maternal age (p=0.027) and education (p=0.024) were observed. No social variations in weight-for-length Z-scores were found.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting were lower than previously reported from Russia, which may reflect good overall socio-economic conditions in the town. Social variations in linear growth indicate the existence of inequalities in infant health, which may further increase with age.
Grjibovski
Andrej M
AM
Unit for Preventive Nutrition, Department of Biosciences at Novum, Karolinska Institutet, 14157 Huddinge, Sweden. andrej.grjibovski@prevnut.ki.se
Bygren
Lars O
LO
Yngve
Agneta
A
Sjostrom
Michael
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D012426:Russia; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors