ArticleEuropean journal of clinical nutrition2026
First-year growth patterns of preterm infants receiving kangaroo mother care: associations with early life factors and 1-year anthropometry.
Article in European journal of clinical nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study characterises first-year growth patterns in a historical preterm infant cohort, and investigates associated early-life factors and 1-year anthropometry.
methodsWe analysed 322 South African preterm infants' (mean 32.8 ± 2.4 weeks gestation) 1-year clinic records after kangaroo mother care discharge. Latent class trajectory modelling identified patterns of weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ), weight-for-length (WLZ), and head circumference-for-age (HCZ) z-scores (Fenton 2013 Growth Chart; WHO Growth Standards, age-corrected). Z-score patterns were characterised as maintenance, faltering (progressively decreasing), gain (progressively increasing) or catch-up (rapidly increasing, exceeding birth z-score). Ordinal regression analysis investigated associations of early-life maternal/infant factors, birth weight, and early (until 50 weeks postmenstrual age) WAZ gain with growth patterns. One-year stunting (LAZ < -2), wasting (WLZ < -2) and overweight (body mass index-for-age z-score > +2) were compared.
resultsBest-fit models identified three WAZ and LAZ patterns (gradual gain, faltering, catch-up), three WLZ patterns (maintenance, faltering, catch-up) and two HCZ patterns (maintenance, gain). Most infants displayed maintenance, gradual gain or catch-up. Lower birth weight z-score (BWZ) was associated with LAZ catch-up (OR:8.33 (3.13-20.00)), WLZ faltering (OR:2.94 (1.69-5.00)) HCZ gain (OR:1.92 (1.23-3.13)), but lower odds of gradual WAZ gain (OR:0.36 (0.19-0.68)) and WAZ faltering (OR:0.56 (0.34-0.92)). Smaller early WAZ gains were associated with gradual WAZ gain (OR:2.27 (1.56-3.33)), WAZ faltering (OR:1.47 (1.11,1.96)), LAZ catch-up (OR:1.85 (1.25-2.70)), and LAZ faltering (OR:1.39 (1.09-1.75)). WAZ and WLZ faltering were both associated (p < 0.001) with 1-year stunting (45.5%, 23.5%) and wasting (21.8%, 10.3%).
conclusionsMost preterm infants had appropriate first-year growth. Lower BWZ was associated with WAZ and LAZ catch-up but WLZ faltering, and sub-optimal early WAZ growth with growth faltering.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.