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Neonatology
Original article
Is it appropriate to use WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study standards to assess the growth parameters of Sri Lankan babies? A single-centre cross-sectional study
  1. Ishanya Ayeshini Abeyagunawardena1,
  2. Arundhi Abeynayake1,
  3. Thushani Anuththara1,
  4. Kasun Alawaththegama1,
  5. Sakuni Amanda1,
  6. Vishaka Abeyrathne1,
  7. Prabhadi Amaradasa1,
  8. Buddhika Anuradha1,
  9. Hanan Ahmed1,
  10. Chathupa Abeykoon1,
  11. Dinesh Malcolm Gerard Fernando2
  1. 1 Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka
  2. 2 Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka
  1. Correspondence to Ishanya Ayeshini Abeyagunawardena; ishanya1993{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Objective To compare the anthropometric measurements of newborns in a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka, with WHO standards.

Methods Birth weight, length and occipitofrontal circumference (OFC) of 400 consecutive, term newborns of healthy mothers were measured in a tertiary care hospital.

Results 400 subjects were approached and seven were excluded, concluding the study population to 184 boys and 209 females. Medians of birth weight, length and OFC were 3000 g, 49.95 cm and 34.15 cm of males and IQRs were 555.00, 2.70 and 1.70, respectively. For females, the medians of birth weight, length and OFC were 2900 g, 48.9 cm and 34.00 cm with IQRs of 450.00, 2.70 and 1.50, respectively. The two-tailed t-test revealed that median weights of males (t=9.632) and females (t=12.04) and OFC of males (t=3.98) were significantly lower than the WHO medians. There was a significant association of birth weight, with mother’s prepregnancy weight, in males (β coefficient=12.629 with 95% CI 6.275 to 18.982) and females (β coefficient=5.880, 95% CI 1.434 to 10.325). Significant associations of length (β coefficient=0.046, 95% CI 0.012 to 0.080) and OFC (β coefficient=0.033, 95% CI 0.014 to 0.053) with mother’s prepregnancy weight in males and length (β coefficient=0.084, 95% CI 0.022 to 0.145) and weight (β coefficient=10.780, 95% CI 0.93 to 20.629) with maternal age in females were found. Furthermore, birth weight in males was significantly associated with maternal height (β coefficient=10.899, 95% CI 0.552 to 21.247). Education level, ethnicity and parity showed no significant associations with above parameters.

Conclusion The median weights of both sexes and OFC in males were significantly lower than the WHO standards. Island-wide studies are indicated to evaluate the appropriateness of applying WHO standards to Sri Lankan newborns.

  • neonatology

This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2017-000174

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors IAA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, applying for ethical approval, data collection and analysis, drafting, reviewing and approving the final paper. AA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, applying for ethical approval, data collection and analysis, drafting, reviewing and approving the final paper. TA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, applying for ethical approval, data collection and analysis, drafting, reviewing and approving the final paper. KA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, applying for ethical approval, data collection and analysis, drafting, reviewing and approving the final paper. SA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, applying for ethical approval, data collection, drafting, reviewing and approving the final paper. VA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, applying for ethical approval, data collection, reviewing and approving the final paper. PA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, data collection, reviewing and approving the final paper. BA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, data collection, reviewing and approving the final paper. HA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, applying for ethical approval, data collection, reviewing and approving the final paper. CA: design of the study, drafting the proposal, data collection, reviewing and approving the final paper. DMGF: design of the study, revising the proposal, revising, reviewing and approving the final paper.

    • Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Ethics approval Ethical Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.