Biological vulnerability in infants with failure to thrive: the association with birthweight

Author: Steward, D K

Source: Child: Care, Health and Development, Volume 27, Number 6, November 2001 , pp. 555-567(13)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

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Abstract:

Summary

The development of failure to thrive (FTT) is hypothesized to be caused by the interaction between biological and environmental factors. Birthweight is one biological variable thought to play a role in the infant's growth failure. In studies that enrolled infants with FTT who were full-term at birth, the reported birthweights of these infants were significantly less than healthy control infants (M= 2959 g vs. M= 3364 g), t(14) = −4.597, P< 0.000. There is growing evidence that there is a subgroup of full-term newborn infants who actually may have experienced some degree of intrauterine growth retardation but their birthweights remain above the traditional cut-off of 2500 g so that they go unrecognized. The question to consider is whether these infants are as behaviourally vulnerable as full-term infants with classic intrauterine growth retardation. It may be that this unrecognized group is at a higher risk of developing FTT. The purpose of this manuscript is to discuss birthweight as a possible precursor to the development of FTT.

Keywords: failure to thrive; birthweight; infant behaviour; full-term newborn; intrauterine growth retardation

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2001-11-01