Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jan 1;10(1):104-111.
doi: 10.1093/advances/nmy091.

Catch-Up Growth in Full-Term Small for Gestational Age Infants: A Systematic Review

Susan C Campisi  1   2 , Sarah E Carbone  3   4 , Stanley Zlotkin  1   5   6   7   2
Affiliations

Catch-Up Growth in Full-Term Small for Gestational Age Infants: A Systematic Review

Susan C Campisi et al. Adv Nutr. .

Abstract

This is the first systematic review to examine the global prevalence of catch-up growth (CUG) in small for gestational age (SGA) infants who were born at full term (FT). Size at birth and subsequent growth is an important indicator of neonatal and adult health. Globally, 16% of infants are SGA at birth, ranging from 7% in industrialized countries to 41.5% in South Asia. SGA infants are at increased risk for negative developmental and adult health outcomes. Some achieve CUG but others do not. CUG has immediate and late health implications especially in low- and middle-income countries. This systematic review sought to determine the global prevalence of CUG among FT-SGA infants. We performed a literature search of MEDLINE, Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus, as well as grey literature databases, and identified 3137 studies. The final analysis included 11 studies. The median prevalence of CUG was 87.4% across all definitions of SGA and CUG. However, multiple definitions were used to classify SGA and CUG. Nine unique reference populations were used to classify SGA, and 6 to approximate CUG. Due to this heterogeneity, a meta-analysis could not be conducted. Program implementation for this vulnerable group of infants is dependent on proper classification. Given the wide range of definitions and reference standards used in the past, it is not possible to determine the global need for programs to address CUG for FT-SGA infants or to rationally plan any such programs. We highlight the need and propose standard definitions and references for SGA and CUG.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PRISMA flow diagram illustrating the flow of number of articles identified, included, and excluded through the different phases of the systematic review. CUG, catch-up growth; PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Mean CUG reported as a percentage of study sample size by SGA definition, age, CUG definition, and study country. Values on the x-axis represent percentage CUG. CUG, catch-up growth; PCTL, percentile; SGA, small for gestational age.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Mean CUG reported as a percentage of study sample size by CUG definition, age, SGA definition, and study country. Values on the x-axis represent percentage CUG. CUG, catch-up growth; PCTL, percentile; SGA, small for gestational age.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Mean CUG reported as a percentage of study sample size by age, CUG definition, SGA definition, and study country. Values on the x-axis represent percentage CUG. CUG, catch-up growth; PCTL, percentile; SGA, small for gestational age.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Mean CUG reported as mean z score of study sample size by SGA definition, age, CUG definition, and study country. Values on the x-axis represent percentage CUG. CUG, catch-up growth; PCTL, percentile; SGA, small for gestational age.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Mean CUG reported as mean z score of study sample size by CUG definition, age, SGA definition, and study country. Values on the x-axis represent percentage CUG. CUG, catch-up growth; PCTL, percentile; SGA, small for gestational age.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Mean CUG reported as mean z score of study sample size by age, CUG definition, SGA definition, and study country. Values on the x-axis represent percentage CUG. CUG, catch-up growth; PCTL, percentile; SGA, small for gestational age.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tudehope D, Vento M, Bhutta Z, Pachi P. Nutritional requirements and feeding recommendations for small for gestational age infants. J Pediatr. 2013;162(3 Suppl):S81–9. - PubMed
    1. Lee AC, Katz J, Blencowe H, Cousens S, Kozuki N, Vogel JP, Adair L, Baqui AH, Bhutta ZA, Caulfield LE et al. National and regional estimates of term and preterm babies born small for gestational age in 138 low-income and middle-income countries in 2010. Lancet Glob Health. 2013;1(1):e26–36. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lee PA, Chernausek SD, Hokken-Koelega AC, Czernichow P, International Small for Gestational Age Advisory Board. International Small for Gestational Age Advisory Board consensus development conference statement: management of short children born small for gestational age, April 24–October 1, 2001. Pediatrics. 2003;111(6 Pt 1):1253–61. - PubMed
    1. WHO Physical Status: The Use and Interpretation of Anthropometry. WHO Technical Report Series Geneva: WHO; 1995.
    1. Katz J, Wu LA, Mullany LC, Coles CL, Lee AC, Kozuki N, Tielsch JM. Prevalence of small-for-gestational-age and its mortality risk varies by choice of birth-weight-for-gestation reference population. PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e92074. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types