title: Association between Short Maternal Height and Low Birth Weight: a Hospital-based Study in Japan.
abstract: Anthropometry measurements, such as height and weight, have recently been used to predict poorer birth outcomes. However, the relationship between maternal height and birth outcomes remains unclear. We examined the effect of shorter maternal height on low birth weight (LBW) among 17,150 pairs of Japanese mothers and newborns. Data for this analysis were collected from newborns who were delivered at a large hospital in Japan. Maternal height was the exposure variable, and LBW and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit were the outcome variables. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the associations. The shortest maternal height quartile (131.0-151.9 cm) was related to LBW (OR 1.91 [95% CI 1.64, 2.22]). The groups with the second (152.0-157.9 cm) and the third shortest maternal height quartiles (158.0-160.9 cm) were also related to LBW. A P trend with one quartile change also showed a significant relationship. The relationship between maternal height and NICU admission disappeared when the statistical model was adjusted for LBW. A newborn's small size was one factor in the relationship between shorter maternal height and NICU admission. In developed countries, shorter mothers provide a useful prenatal target to anticipate and plan for LBW newborns and NICU admission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Okayama Prefectural University, Soja, Okayama, Japan .
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1840-5631
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Kaba Memorial Hospital, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.; Department of Obstetrics, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9424-0616
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Naruse
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Ecology, Okayama University Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama, Japan .
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2543-5441
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yorifuji
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan .
authors.forename: Tsuguhiko
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6009-7962
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan .
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3212-1782
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murakoshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan .
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1485-6825
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA .
authors.forename: S V
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2365-4165
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Subramanian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007564:Japan; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: Low Birth Weight; Maternal Height; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit