This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
High neonatal growth increased IQ scores in children
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Fast gains in weight or head circumference in the first 4 weeks after birth may affect children’s IQ, according to recent study findings published in Pediatrics.
“At the extreme, infants with feeding difficulties may be diagnosed with growth faltering (or ‘failure to thrive’), which has been associated with three- to four-point lower IQ scores compared with children without growth faltering,” researchers wrote.
The study included data from the Promotion of Breast-feeding Intervention Trial, including Belarusian infants born full term, weighing at least 2,500 g. Neonatal weight gain and head circumference gain were measured during the 4 weeks, and IQ and behavior were measured when participants were aged 6.5 years.
Researchers found that the mean neonatal weight gain was 26% of birth weight. In adjusted models, infants with the highest vs. lowest quartile of neonatal weight gain had 1.5-point higher IQ scores (95% CI, 0.8-2.2). There was a small negative association between neonatal weight gain and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire when it was teacher-reported (beta=–0.39; 95% CI, –0.71 to –0.08) but not for the parent reported questionnaire (beta=–0.12; 95% CI, –0.39 to 0.15).
“Many mothers have difficulty establishing breast-feeding in the first weeks of life,” researchers wrote. “Most of the literature in this area has focused on recognizing and correcting problems with breast-feeding. Our findings suggest that [neonatal weight gain] is associated with children’s IQ scores and highlights the importance of intervening early in the management of infants with feeding difficulties.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of disclosures.
Collapse
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts