Changes in weight, length, head circumference, and ponderal index at birth of healthy term newborns in nine cities in China during the period of rapid social development 1985-2005.
The changes in the anthropometric parameters at birth of healthy singleton term newborns in nine cities in China were analyzed by means of the data collected in three large-scale cross-sectional physical growth surveys in 1985, 1995, and 2005 (n=6660, 7109 and 6144). Between 1985 and 2005, average increases in body weight (BW), body length (BL), ponderal index (PI), and head circumference (HC) of newborns were statistically significant: 107g, 0.2cm, 0.6kg/m(3) and 0.4cm, respectively. The relative increase in BW was more than that in BL (3.4% vs 0.4%) in the last two decades, leading to an increase in PI. The distribution of birth size shifted slightly to the right, and the proportion of macrosomia increased from 3.2% in 1985 to 3.4% in 1995 and to 4.3% in 2005. The increases in BW and PI and the increase in rate of macrosomia are concerns from public health perspectives.
Department of Growth and Development, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, No. 2, Ya Bao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China. Electronic address: zhangyaqin81@163.com.
Ya-qin
YQ
Zhang
Department of Growth and Development, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, No. 2, Ya Bao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100020, China. Electronic address: huiligrowth@163.com.
Hui
H
Li
D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D014505:Urban Population
Length; Newborns; Ponderal index; Time trends; Weight