ERIC Number: EJ1483833
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Sep
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2692-9384
Available Date: 2024-10-23
Associations of Fetal and Infant Growth Patterns with Behavior and Cognitive Outcomes in Early Adolescence
Romy Gonçalves1,2; Romy Gaillard1,2; Kelly K. Ferguson3; Sara Sammallahti4,5,6; Manon H. Hillegers4; Eric A. P. Steegers7; Hanan El Marroun5,8; Vincent W. V. Jaddoe1,2
JCPP Advances, v5 n3 e12278 2025
Background: Fetal life and infancy might be critical periods for brain development leading to increased risks of neurocognitive disorders and psychopathology later in life. We examined the associations of fetal and infant weight growth patterns and birth characteristics with behavior and cognitive outcomes at the age of 13 years. Methods: Population-based prospective cohort study from fetal life until adolescence. Pregnant women with a delivery date between April 2002 and January 2006 were eligible. Follow-up measurements were available for 4716 children. Fetal weight was estimated in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy by ultrasonography. Infant weight was measured at birth and at 6, 12, and 24 months. Fetal and infant weight acceleration or deceleration were defined as a change in SD greater than 0.67 between time points. Total, internalizing and externalizing problems and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms were measured using Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/6-18), autistic traits by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and intelligence quotient (IQ) by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Results: One week longer gestational age at birth was associated with a -0.03 SDS (95% Confidence Interval (CI): -0.04, -0.01) lower total behavior problems score, a -0.02 SDS (95% CI: -0.04, -0.01) lower ADHD symptoms score. Also an increase in birth weight of 500 g was associated with a lower odds of having high externalizing problems (OR 0.92 (95% CI: 0.86, 0.98) and of having a low IQ score (OR 0.79 (95% CI: 0.71, 0.88). Compared to children with normal fetal and infant growth, those with accelerated fetal and infant growth had a 0.27 SDS higher IQ (95% Confidence Interval 0.11, 0.44). Conclusions: Both fetal and infant weight development are associated with behavioral and cognitive outcomes in early adolescence. Follow-up studies are needed to assess whether these associations link to later life mental health outcomes.
Descriptors: Birth, Infants, Body Weight, Child Development, Early Adolescents, Pregnancy, Behavior Problems, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Check Lists, Child Behavior, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intelligence Quotient, Children, Intelligence Tests, Cognitive Development
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Child Behavior Checklist; Social Responsiveness Scale; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 2Department of Pediatrics, Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 3Department of Health and Human Services, Epidemiology Branch, Durham, NC, USA; 4Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 5Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 6Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; 7Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; 8Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

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