title: Fetal growth velocities in Hong Kong Chinese infants.
abstract: Few studies have investigated the velocities of fetal growth. The aim of the present study was to determine the pattern of 'fetal' growth velocities in a Chinese population. The gestation-specific measurements of the body weight, body length and head circumference in a representative sample of 5,045 male and 4,484 female newborns delivered between 26 and 42 weeks of gestation at 12 hospitals in Hong Kong were obtained. Peak growth velocity occurred before 30 weeks of gestation for head circumference, at week 30 for length and at week 30 for weight. When compared with data obtained from a French population, a significant difference in the growth velocity for body weight was observed below 32 weeks between French and Chinese infants, suggesting an ethnic difference in fetal growth of this parameter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. taifaifok@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Fok
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hon
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D044466:Asian People; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D005602:France; D005865:Gestational Age; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D044465:White People