title: Outcome of low birthweight in China: a 16-year longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the growth and neurodevelopment of low-birthweight (LBW) and normal-birthweight (control) infants born and raised in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  203 LBW (1200-2499 g) and 71 control (> or =2500 g) infants born at two Shanghai hospitals in 1983 did not differ for date of birth, gender, parental occupation, parental weight and age. LBW <10th centile at > or =37 wk gestation was defined as small for gestational age (SGA, n=102). LBW at < 37 wk gestation was defined as preterm (n=101).
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight, height, head circumference, Gesell developmental quotient (DQ), Wechsler intelligence quotient (IQ), and scholastic achievement score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 274 enrolled subjects, 234 (85%) returned at 6 mo, 135 (49%) at 6 y, and 104 (38%) at 16 y. SGA, preterm, and control subjects did not differ in rates of follow-up or baseline characteristics. However, SGA and preterm were lower than control subjects in weight and head circumference through 16 y, height through 4 y, DQ through 3 y, IQ at 5 and 16 y, and scholastic achievement at 16 y. Catch-up to growth in the control group, defined as >3rd centile, and normal IQ, defined as > or =85, were both more common among preterm than SGA subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adolescents in China with birthweights of 1200-2499 g, and particularly those who were SGA, lag behind peers with birthweights >2500 g in physical growth, cognitive capacity, and school achievement. The findings suggest that LBW adolescents in China today represent a population in need of evaluation and support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, 183 Fenglin Road, Shanghai 200 032, China. ympeng99@yahoo.com.cn
authors.forename: Yongmei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Biro
authors.forename: Lingying
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Zhiping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Slap
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D002657:Child Development; D002681:China; D003071:Cognition; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D011446:Prospective Studies