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
. 2021 Apr 28;21(1):203.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-021-02655-7.

Bidirectional association of neurodevelopment with growth: a prospective cohort study

Xiaotong Wei  1 , Jiajin Hu  1 , Liu Yang  2 , Ming Gao  1 , Lin Li  3 , Ning Ding  4 , Yanan Ma  5 , Deliang Wen  6
Affiliations

Bidirectional association of neurodevelopment with growth: a prospective cohort study

Xiaotong Wei et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: The study aims to use the cross-lagged model and utilize data from the Born in Shenyang Cohort Study to characterize the bidirectional associations of the term-born infants' neurodevelopment in five domains and physical growth in early life.

Method: This study consists of 688 mother-child dyads from the Born in Shenyang Cohort Study. Infants' anthropometric (weight and length) and development in neurological outcomes (Gesell Development Scale) were measured at the age of 6 and 12 months. Cross-lagged analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were used to explore the longitudinal relationships in both directions.

Results: In terms of longitudinal studies, the inverse associations between infants' two skills (gross motor and social behavior) at the age of 6 months with BMI Z -scores at the age of 12 months (gross motor: aβ = - 0.20, 95% CI: - 0.31 to- 0.09; social behavior: aβ = - 0.23, 95% CI: - 0.33 to- 0.13) were found. Conversely, a higher infant Z -scored BMI at the age of 6 months predicted a lower gross motor at the age of 12 months (aβ = - 0.08, 95% CI: - 0.12 to- 0.04). In cross-lagged analyses, an adverse association in both directions between gross motor and Z -scored BMI was observed.

Conclusion: We found bidirectional relationships between infants' neurodevelopment of gross motor with physical growth and suggested the term-born infants, who are on the edge of the developmental danger, should not be overlooked.

Keywords: Anthropometric measurements; Neurodevelopment; Pediatrics; Physical growth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of recruitment and research
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cross-lagged model of associations between neurodevelopment and z-scored BMI at the age of 6 and 12 months (N = 449). The values represent β-regression coefficients and adjusted for confounding variables. The model fit well among the five models, and ranged from: Χ2 = 6.86–20.98, RMSEA = 0.02–0.05, CFI = 0.96–1.00, TLI = 0.98–1.00, SRMR = 0–0.02. T1:6 months; T2: 12 months; BMI: body mass index. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.001
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Cross-lagged model of associations between neurodevelopment and weight gain at the age of 6 and 12 months (N = 449). The values represent β-regression coefficients and adjusted for confounding variables. The model fit well among the five models, and ranged from: Χ2 = 8.86–27.98, RMSEA = 0.01–0.04, CFI = 0.97–1.00, TLI = 0.95–1.00, SRMR = 0.00–0.02. T1:6 months; T2: 12 months; wt: weight. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.001
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Richards M, Hardy R, Kuh D, Wadsworth ME. Birth weight and cognitive function in the British 1946 birth cohort: longitudinal population based study. BMJ. 2001;322:199–203. doi: 10.1136/bmj.322.7280.199. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shenkin SD, Starr JM, Deary IJ. Birth weight and cognitive ability in childhood: a systematic review. Psychol Bull. 2004;130(6):989–1013. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.6.989. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gale CR, O'Callaghan FJ, Bredow M, Martyn CN, Parents ALSo. Team CS The influence of head growth in fetal life, infancy, and childhood on intelligence at the ages of 4 and 8 years. Pediatrics. 2006;118:1486–1492. doi: 10.1542/peds.2005-2629. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. World Health Organization child growth standards: growth velocity based on weight, length and head circumference: methods and development: World Health Organization; 2009. 10.1093/tropej/fmp086.
    1. Adelantado-Renau M, Esteban-Cornejo I, Rodriguez-Ayllon M, Cadenas-Sanchez C, Gil-Cosano JJ, Mora-Gonzalez J, et al. Inflammatory biomarkers and brain health indicators in children with overweight and obesity: the activebrains project. Brain Behav Immun. 2019;81:588–97 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.07.020. - PubMed

Publication types