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2 - Determinants of intrauterine growth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2009

Patti J. Thureen
By
John W. Sparks  and
Irene Cetin
Edited by
William W. Hay
Patti J. Thureen
Affiliation:
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
John W. Sparks
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas
Irene Cetin
Affiliation:
Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale San Paolo, Milano, Italy
William W. Hay
Affiliation:
University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
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Summary

Size matters

When considering outcomes of pregnancy, size at birth is among the most important characteristics of a successful pregnancy. In addition to duration of pregnancy and the qualitative development of the fetus, the anthropometric size of a newborn baby is of considerable significance. Long before the relatively modern concept of gestational age was well understood, medical personnel recognized and recorded the size, particularly the weight, of newborn babies, and both mortality and morbidity were correlated to birth size. This persists even today, with terms such as “Low Birth Weight” infants, which do not incorporate the concept of duration of pregnancy, as an important descriptor in the public health arena. Similarly, among the first questions asked by parents, is “How much does my baby weigh?,” a reflection of the importance of size in the common understanding of pregnancy.

As a practical issue, clinicians pay most attention to weight, length and head circumference, in part because both scales and rulers are easily available and accurate. Weight is particularly emphasized, in part because the measurement of weight is particularly insensitive to inter-observer measurement error. Other measures, such as surface area, BMI and weights raised to various powers (e.g. wt0.75, wt2, wt/length2) are also in common use, but require more difficult calculation or measurement. The close attention paid to weight is more a reflection of convenience, than biological importance, as other measures may more closely relate to matters of biological importance.

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Neonatal Nutrition and Metabolism , pp. 23 - 31
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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  • Determinants of intrauterine growth
    • By John W. Sparks, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, Irene Cetin, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale San Paolo, Milano, Italy
  • Patti J. Thureen, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
  • Edited by William W. Hay, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
  • Book: Neonatal Nutrition and Metabolism
  • Online publication: 10 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544712.003
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Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Determinants of intrauterine growth
    • By John W. Sparks, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, Irene Cetin, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale San Paolo, Milano, Italy
  • Patti J. Thureen, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
  • Edited by William W. Hay, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
  • Book: Neonatal Nutrition and Metabolism
  • Online publication: 10 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544712.003
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Determinants of intrauterine growth
    • By John W. Sparks, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, Irene Cetin, Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale San Paolo, Milano, Italy
  • Patti J. Thureen, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
  • Edited by William W. Hay, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center
  • Book: Neonatal Nutrition and Metabolism
  • Online publication: 10 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544712.003
Available formats
×