title: Linear Growth and Child Development in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Malawi.
abstract: We aimed to produce quantitative estimates of the associations between 4 domains of child development and linear growth during 3 periods: before birth, early infancy, and later infancy. We also aimed to determine whether several factors attenuated these associations.
  
  
  
  In 3700 children in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Malawi, growth was measured several times from birth to age 18 months. At 18 months, language, motor, socioemotional, and executive function development were assessed. In Burkina Faso (n = 1111), personal-social development was assessed rather than the latter 2 domains.
  
  
  
  Linear growth was significantly associated with language, motor, and personal-social development but not socioemotional development or executive function. For language, the pooled adjusted estimate of the association with length-for-age z score (LAZ) at 6 months was 0.13 ± 0.02 SD, and with ΔLAZ from 6 to 18 months it was 0.11 ± 0.03 SD. For motor, these estimates were 0.16 ± 0.02 SD and 0.22 ± 0.03 SD, respectively. In 1412 children measured at birth, estimates of the association with LAZ at birth were similar (0.07-0.16 SD for language and 0.09-0.18 SD for motor development). These associations were weaker or absent in certain subsets of children with high levels of developmental stimulation or mothers who received nutritional supplementation.
  
  
  
  Growth faltering during any period from before birth to 18 months is associated with poor development of language and motor skills. Interventions to provide developmental stimulation or maternal supplementation may protect children who are faltering in growth from poor language and motor development.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, and elprado@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Prado
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, and.
authors.forename: Souheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbeddou
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana;
authors.forename: Seth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adu-Afarwuah
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, and.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arimond
authors.affiliation: Center for Child Health Research, University of Tampere School of Medicine and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland; Department of Paediatrics, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland;
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ashorn
authors.affiliation: Center for Child Health Research, University of Tampere School of Medicine and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland;
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ashorn
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Washington;
authors.forename: Kenneth H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, and.
authors.forename: Sonja Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana;
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lartey
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi;
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maleta
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, and Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana;
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ocansey
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/DRO, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; and.
authors.forename: Jean-Bosco
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ouédraogo
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi;
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Phuka
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, and.
authors.forename: Jérôme W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Somé
authors.affiliation: Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California Davis, Davis, California;
authors.forename: Steve A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Vosti
authors.affiliation: Departments of Individual, Family, and Community Education and Family and Community Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yakes Jimenez
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutrition, and.
authors.forename: Kathryn G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Dewey
mesh_terms: D001827:Body Height; D002050:Burkina Faso; D002657:Child Development; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male