A New Birthweight Reference by Gestational Age: A Population Study Based on the Generalized Additive Model for Location, Scale, and Shape Method

Overview

Journal Front Pediatr

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2022 Apr 7

PMID 35386253

Authors

Qiong Wu

Hui-Yun Zhang

Li Zhang

Yue-Qin Xu

Jin Sun

Nan-Nan Gao

Xiu-Yun Qiao

Yan Li

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: It is important to choose a suitable birthweight reference to assess newborns, especially those that are small for gestational age (SGA). Currently, there is no regional standard reference for the north of China or for Shandong province.

Methods: A total of 130,911 data records of singleton, live neonates born at 24-42 weeks of gestation were collected from 2016 to 2018 in Shandong province. A new birthweight-for-gestational age percentile reference was constructed based on the Generalized Additive Model for Location, Scale and Shape (GAMLSS) package in R version 3.5. The established gestational age weight curve was compared separately with the Fenton curve, INTERGROWTH-21st curve, and the Chinese Neonatal Network Standard curve of 2015.

Results: We established the reference values of birthweight by gestational age at the 3rd, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 97th percentiles. Newborns had much heavier birthweights than those in the INTERGROWTH-21st and Fenton curves at most gestational ages. Although the newborns' birthweight references were closer to the Chinese Neonatal Network Standard except a few for gestational age, this study and INTERGROWTH-21st had similar birthweight curve shapes.

Conclusions: There are obvious differences among the criteria for newborn birthweights. Therefore, it is more accurate to assess newborns using the local birthweight reference.

Citing Articles

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