Effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on growth: a longitudinal analysis.
OBJECTIVE
There has been a limited amount of research on the long-term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on growth of the infant, and there has been no use of longitudinal growth models. We investigated the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on offspring growth from 1 through 10 years of age by using a repeated-measures growth-curve model.


METHODS
Women were enrolled from a prenatal clinic and interviewed at the end of each trimester of pregnancy about their cocaine, crack, alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and other drug use. Fifty percent of the women were white, and 50% were black. Follow-up assessments occurred at 1, 3, 7, and 10 years of age.


RESULTS
Cross-sectional analyses showed that children exposed to cocaine during the first trimester (n = 99) were smaller on all growth parameters at 7 and 10 years, but not at 1 or 3 years, than the children who were not exposed to cocaine during the first trimester (n = 125). The longitudinal analyses indicated that the growth curves for the 2 groups diverged over time: children who were prenatally exposed to cocaine grew at a slower rate than children who were not exposed. These analyses controlled for other factors associated with child growth.


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this is the first study of the long-term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure to conduct longitudinal growth-curve analyses using 4 time points in childhood. Children who were exposed to cocaine during the first trimester grew at a slower rate than those who were not exposed. These findings indicate that prenatal cocaine exposure has a lasting effect on child development.
Richardson
Gale A
GA
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. gar@pitt.edu
Goldschmidt
Lidush
L
Larkby
Cynthia
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D012727:Sex Characteristics
D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D003042:Cocaine