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ERIC Number: EJ1473760
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2692-9384
Available Date: 2024-07-29
The Longitudinal Effects of Neonatal Anthropometry on Attention Problems in Males and Females
Lars Meinertz Byg1,2; Carol Wang1,2; Jonathan J. Hirst2,3; Roger Smith2,4; Craig Pennell1,2
JCPP Advances, v5 n2 e12256 2025
Background: The longitudinal impact of fetal growth on attention problems in males and females is unclear. This study aims to evaluate the impact of fetal growth assessed by neonatal anthropometry throughout childhood and adolescence in males and females separately. Methods: We compared neonatal anthropometry (birth weight (BW), head circumference (HC), proportion of optimal birthweight (POBW)) and asymmetry (head-to-abdominal circumference ratio (HC/AC) and ponderal index (PI)) at birth with parental assessment of the child behavior checklist attention-problem syndrome (CBCL-AP) raw score measured at ages five, eight, 10, 14 and 17. We used univariable and multivariable linear mixed-effects modeling. Sensitivity analyses included excluding pre-term births, teacher ratings and treating the CBCL-AP as an ordinal variable. Results: In males, a 1-SD lower BW, increased CBCL-AP by 0.234 (95%CI [-0.422, -0.0497]). In males, a 1-SD lower HC increased CBCL-AP by 0.316 (95%CI [0.495, 0.133]). In males, there was a U-shaped relationship between HC/AC and CBCL-AP throughout childhood and adolescence; a curvilinear relationship was observed between POBW and CBCL-AP. In females, a 1 SD lower HC increased CBCL-AP 0.424 (95%CI [0.726, 0.133]), but every increased year of age reduced the effect by 0.027 (95% CI: 0.006-0.05). In females, there was no clear relationship between BW, POBW or HC/AC and CBCL-AP. In males and females, PI was not significantly associated with CBCL-AP. The exclusion of pre-term births and analysis of teacher-rated attention problems was consistent with the primary results. Conclusions: Using a longitudinal design, our study suggests a male vulnerability to attention problems throughout childhood and adolescence from neonatal anthropometry. The relationships in females appear to be limited to childhood.
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/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Child Behavior Checklist
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1School of Medicine and Public Health, Newcastle, NSW, Australia; 2Mothers and Babies Research Centre, Newcastle, NSW, Australia; 3School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Newcastle, NSW, Australia; 4Endocrinology Department, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia