Infant growth during the first year of life

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe and analyse the profile of growth in normal infants during the first year of life, including their patterns of weight and length, and the duration of breastfeeding. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted based on 85 records of infants who met the inclusion criteria. The total duration of breastfeeding was recorded along with weight and length at three ages: birth, 6 and 12 months. The data were analysed as Z-scores based on WHO (2006) using the software products MedCalc 12.0 and GraphPad Prism 6.0. Results: Although 76.5% of the infants showed a growth pattern compatible with WHO references at 12 months of age, the others presented as overweight as at risk of being overweight. A significant correlation was observed between birth weight and BMI Z-score at two ages: 6 months (r = 0.26; p = 0.01) and 12 months (r = 0.32; p = 0.002). A correlation between birth weight and length Z-score was also found at 6 months (r = 0.4034; p = 0.0001) and 12 months (r = 0.3309; p = 0.002). Birth length was also correlated with length Z-score at 6 months (r = 0.4829; p < 0.0001) and 12 months (r = 0.3407; p = 0.0014). Breastfeeding duration did not show any correlation with anthropometric data at 6 and 12 months of age. Conclusion: The growth pattern of the sample during the first year of life was found to be appropriate or faster than normal. Growth pattern also seems to be influenced by anthropometric characteristics at birth, which does not depend on breastfeeding duration.