Risk factors for small for gestational age

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the paper was to determine the risk factors for small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants at full term, in Japan. METHODS: The study was conducted at four hospitals and clinics in the Tokyo metropolitan area. A retrospective review of 2972 mothers and their infants born from singleton pregnancies at any time during the years 2002 and 2003 was conducted. RESULTS: Of these women, 8.4% gave birth to SGA infants. The proportion of SGA infants was significantly higher among heavy smokers (>10 cigarettes/day; 13.7%, P < 0.01). The odds ratio (OR) for SGA decreased significantly in proportion to the pregnancy body mass index (OR, 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84-0.94, P < 0.001). The OR of SGA for stratified maternal weight gain was 1.79 (95%CI: 1.24-2.58, P 12 kg. CONCLUSION: The present study clearly confirms the detrimental effect of a low prepregnancy body mass index, low maternal weight gain and maternal smoking during pregnancy on the incidence of SGA infants.     

Smoking,nicotine and tar and risk of small for gestational age babies

AIMS: To assess the effect of maternal smoking and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on risk of small for gestational age infants (SGA). METHODS: Case-control study of 844 cases and 870 controls. RESULTS: Maternal smoking in pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of SGA (adjusted odds ratio (OR)= 2.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.78, 3.28). We could not detect an increased risk of SGA with paternal smoking, or with other household smokers when the mother was a non-smoker, but did find an increased risk with exposure to ETS in the workplace or while socializing. Infants of mothers who ceased smoking during pregnancy were not at increased risk of SGA, but those who decreased but did not stop remained at risk of SGA. There was no evidence that the concentration of nicotine and tar in the cigarettes influenced the risk of SGA. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal smoking in pregnancy is a major risk factor for SGA. This study suggests that mothers should be advised to cease smoking completely during pregnancy, and that a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked or smoking low tar or nicotine concentration cigarettes does not reduce the risk of SGA.     

Prenatal and postnatal maternal smoking as risk factors for preschool children's mental health

Aim: To identify maternal prenatal and postnatal smoking as risk factors for psychosocial behaviour problems in Swedish preschool children. Methods: This prospective, longitudinal population study compared mothers' self-reported smoking during pregnancy and when the child was 3 mo old with behaviour problems according to Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist at 3 y (1428 children) and 5.5 y of age (677 of the children). Results: 16% of the mothers smoked during pregnancy and the same number after the birth of the child. Controlling for possible confounding variables, maternal smoking was significantly related to externalizing problems, aggressive behaviour, and destructive/delinquent behaviour both at 3 y and 5.5 y. The effect was as strong for girls as for boys. Length and weight were lower for children of smoking mothers than for children of non-smoking mothers.

Conclusion: Our study supports the importance of preventing maternal smoking during pregnancy and the infant years. Even a few cigarettes per day have negative consequences for the child. The goal must be total abstinence from smoking both pre- and postnatally.     

Sudden infant death and maternal cigarette smoking: Results from the Lower Saxony Perinatal Working Group

Maternal smoking has long been identified as a risk factor for sudden infant death (SID). However, only few studies analysed the biological plausibility of the relationship between maternal smoking and SID. In Lower Saxony (North Germany), detailed information concerning the perinatal period is routinely obtained for almost all infants born in this region. The perinatal data sets from 190 SID cases who had died between 1986 and 1990 and in whom a full autopsy had been performed were identified and compared to data sets from 5920 random controls, frequency matched to cases on year of birth. After adjusting for potential confounders (socio-economic status, birth weight, maternal age and nationality), smoking during pregnancy was still associated with a significantly increased risk of SID (odds ratio (OR) 2.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7–4.5). There was a clear dose-effect relationship between the number of cigarettes smoked and the risk of SID: adjusted ORs were 2.6 (1.5–4.4) for 1–10 cigarettes/day, 2.8 (1.8–6.0) for 11–20 cigarettes/day, and 6.9 (1.9–25.5) for >20 cigarettes/day. There also appeared to be an interaction between smoking during pregnancy and maternal anaemia: the risk of SID almost doubled if mothers not only smoked, but were also anaemic (haemoglobin <100 g/l). These results support the concept that smoking during pregnancy has direct biological effects on the fetus which are associated with an increased risk of SID later in life. The exact mechanism(s) whereby smoking increases the risk of SID, however, remains to be determined. The detrimental effects of smoking on SID should be strongly addressed in any national or local campaign aiming to reduce the incidence of SID in a community.Conclusion Maternal smoking during pregnancy is an important modifiable risk factor for SID.     

Perinatal outcome in an obstetric cohort of Mozambican women

A prospective cohort of 908 consecutively enrolled pregnant women with biparietal diameter (DBP) compatible with gestational age equal to or below 21 weeks were followed up regularly at 2-4 weeks intervals. Normal antenatal care routine was applied. The newborns were followed until 7 days postpartum. The setting was two suburban antenatal clinics in Maputo and the delivery ward at the Maputo Central Hospital. The main outcome variables were low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery, intrauterine fetal death, perinatal death and small for gestational age (SGA). For each of these variables the odds ratio for maternal risk factors was estimated with 95 per cent confidence interval and multiple logistic regression analysis was used. LBW occurred in 16.2 per cent and low maternal weight, low weight gain during pregnancy and not having a living child were risk factors. Prevalence of preterm birth was 15.4 per cent and low weight gain during pregnancy and malaria in the perinatal period were risk factors. Four per cent of mothers delivered stillborns and syphilis serology (positive VDRL test) was a risk factor. Perinatal death occurred in 4.7 per cent. These deaths were associated with being SGA, LBW or preterm at birth. Of the cohort women, 9.7 per cent delivered SGA newborns. It was concluded that maternal constitutional factors, particularly maternal weight gain, maternal height and maternal weight as well as syphilis and malaria during pregnancy, need to be given attention concerning the adverse outcomes addressed. The establishment of an obstetric cohort, followed prospectively, was possible in a low-income setting with limited numbers lost to follow-up at delivery.     

Placental Lesions Associated with Abnormal Growth in Twins

Abnormal growth in one or both twins may contribute to the increased morbidity and mortality observed in twin gestation. Our objective in this retrospective study of all twin pregnancies delivered at our hospital (n = 240) over a 2-year period was to study the relationship between placental lesions and abnormal growth. Standardized placental examinations were performed in 192 cases (80%), which constituted the study population. Two growth abnormalities were studied: discordant growth as defined by >15% difference in birth weight and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth as defined by birth weight less-than the 10th percentile for gestational age. The majority of twin pregnancies with either discordant growth (41/57 cases) or SGA birth (26/35 cases) had dichorionic placentas. In monochorionic placentas studied by injection there was no significant relationship between vascular anastomoses and discordant growth. Placental weight for small discordant and SGA twins was equivalent or increased relative to infant weight, a pattern not suggestive of maternal vascular underperfusion. Eight lesions, five considered to represent chronic placental disease and three considered to represent intrauterine adaptation, were studied as possible predictors of abnormal growth. The overall prevalence of these lesions in twin placentas was less than that seen in singleton births. Concordance between twin placentas for most lesions was higher than would be expected, based on their prevalence in singleton placentas. Two lesions were associated with discordant growth in both univariate and multivariate analyses: peripheral cord insertion (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.7–7.6) and avascular villi (AV; OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.0–10.3). Three placental lesions were associated with SGA infants at the univariate level: peripheral cord insertion, avascular villi, and maternal vascular underperfusion. Only peripheral cord insertion (OR 9.8, 95% CI 4.1–23.4) and AV (OR 3.7, CI 1.0–13.7) were significant in the multivariate analysis. The relative increase in peripheral cord insertion and AV with abnormal growth was observed for both monochorionic and dichorionic placentas. Subgroups of discordant infants with and without SGA were both associated with peripheral cord insertion while only those with SGA had an increase in AV. Both peripheral cord insertion and AV were increased in the subgroup with SGA but no discordancy. In summary, two placental lesions, peripheral cord insertion indicating a spatially limited intrauterine compartment and AV indicating occlusion of fetal vessels in the placenta, were associated with abnormal growth in twins. Received November 20, 2000; accepted April 2, 2001.     

早产儿和小于胎龄儿发生的危险因素的比较分析

目的 比较早产儿和小于胎龄儿发生的危险因素.方法 选择1 270例排除明确孕母疾病和产科危险因素的新生儿,自制调查问卷调查母亲身高、体重、被动吸烟和不良孕产史等因素,将研究对象分类为早产儿和足月儿、小于胎龄儿和适于胎龄儿,采用多因素logistic 回归分析比较早产儿和小于胎龄儿发生的危险因素.结果 孕期增重<9 kg使早产(OR=1.63,95%CI:1.12~2.07)和小于胎龄儿(OR=1.92,95%CI:1.56~2.58)发生的危险性均增高;母亲既往流产史(OR=1.46,95%CI:1.09~1.93)和早产史(OR=2.63,95%CI:1.81~3.92)是早产儿发生的的独立危险因素;孕母身高<1.55 m(OR=2.46,95%CI:1.78~3.48)、孕前BMI<18.5(OR=2.16,95%CI:1.53~3.16)、被动吸烟(OR=2.24,95%CI:1.65~2.98)是小于胎龄儿发生的的独立危险因素.结论 早产儿和小于胎龄儿的危险因素不同,针对两类特征孕妇应采取不同的预防措施,有针对性地减少两类不良妊娠结局的发生.     

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and behavioural characteristics in 2 - 4-month-old infants

The study aimed to assess potential relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and behavioural characteristics in 2 - 4-month-old infants. It covered period from 1999 to 2000 and comprised 250 randomly selected, apparently healthy singleton born infants from community setting (129 boys, 121 girls). The mothers were asked to complete the questionnaires addressing infant, maternal, demographic major characteristics with particular emphasis on maternal smoking during pregnancy. To objectively assess behavioural peculiarities of the infants, the mothers were requested to complete the Early Infancy Temperament Questionnaire. Of 250 mothers, 64. women (25.6 %) smoked during pregnancy. The infants of smoking mothers were more often born low birth weight and were also lighter at study; more frequently they were born at earlier gestational age, had lower Apgar score at 5 th minute, were less frequently breast fed at birth and at the time of study. Mothers who smoked during pregnancy were younger, had lower educational level, and less frequently were married. The infants born to smoking mothers had more frequent fussy periods occurring at about the same time of the day, protesting behaviour at face washing and washing in bath, indifferent attitude to the mother when held by new person, extreme reactions (either indifference or much feeling) during diapering and bowel movement, less attention to the parents during parent-infant play activity, and more sensitivity to the wet diaper. They were also characterised by more intensive reactions (displayed more amount of energy regardless of positive or negative behaviour) compared with the babies from the non-smoking group. This association remained after adjustment has been made for major potential confounders, and had a significant "dose-response" effect. Maternal smoking during pregnancy may serve as a risk factor for infant's behavioural deviations.     

Cord blood α-fetoprotein concentrations in term newborns of smoking mothers

To investigate the toxic effect of tobacco smoke on the fetus, we measured in cord blood the concentrations of α-fetoprotein (AFP), the principal serum protein in early ontogenic development, and erythropoietin (EPO), as an index of chronic fetal hypoxia. A total of 103 consecutively enrolled term newborns of smoking mothers and 103 term infants of nonsmoking parents were studied. The mean ± SD AFP concentrations in the newborns of the mothers who smoked 1–50, 5–50, and 10–50 cigarettes/day were 86.4 ± 88.9, 96.3 ± 91.9 and 118.7 ± 103.7 ng/ml, respectively. The difference of all three groups from the control neonates (57.7 ± 37.2) was significant. The EPO concentrations in the newborns of the mothers who smoked 1–50 (53.9 ± 64.6 mU/ml) and 5–50 (56.3 ± 68.5) cigarettes/day were significantly greater than in the control neonates (29.5 ± 16.1). In the newborns of the smoking mothers there was a significant positive correlation between AFP concentrations and number of cigarettes smoked per day, and a negative correlation between AFP and birth weight or length. There was no correlation between AFP and EPO concentrations, as well as between EPO and birth weight, length or number of cigarettes smoked per day. Conclusion The absence of a correlation between erythropoietin and birth weight or length and the negative correlations between α-fetoprotein and these anthropometric parameters suggest that the intra-uterine growth retardation caused by maternal smoking is not due to tissue hypoxia, but that both growth retardation and elevated α-fetoprotein result from the direct or indirect toxic effect of a factor(s) present in tobacco smoke. Received: 22 June 1998 / Accepted in revised form: 17 November 1998     

Birth weight categorization according to gestational age does not reflect percentage body fat in term and preterm newborns

This study was performed to prove the applicability of the small-for-gestational age (SGA), appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA), and large-for-gestational age (LGA) classification depending on birth weight to predict percentage body fat (%BF) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in term and preterm infants. The data of 159 healthy term and preterm neonates (87 boys and 72 girls) with a gestational age at delivery of 38.4 weeks from two longitudinal studies were analyzed. Anthropometry and body composition data were assessed within the first 10 days after birth. Correlations between anthropometric parameters and fat mass measured by DXA were calculated. Prevalences of observations with low, middle, and high %BF measured by DXA were compared between SGA, AGA, and LGA groups, according to sex and gestational age. In term infants, 42.9% of the newborns with less than 10% body fat were classified to be AGA; 9.9% of all AGA newborns had less than 10% body fat. For the whole group, among the ratios investigated, the weight-length ratio (r=0.82) showed the best correlation to fat mass measured by DXA. The %BF at the time of study was higher in girls (14.75%) than in boys (11.95%). In conclusion, traditional classification based on birth weight centiles does not reflect %BF in term and preterm newborns.     

Maternal nutritional status mediates the association between maternal age and birth outcomes

Young maternal age during pregnancy is linked with adverse birth outcomes. This study examined the role of maternal nutritional status in the association between maternal age and small for gestational age (SGA) delivery and birth length. We used data from a birth cohort study in Ethiopia, involving women who were 15–24 years of age and their newborns. A mediation analysis was fitted in a sample of 1,422 mother infant dyads for whom data on birth length were available, and 777 dyads for whom gestational age and birth weight was measured. We used commands, medeff for the mediation analysis and medsens for sensitivity analysis in STATA 14. Maternal nutritional status, measured by mid‐upper arm circumference, mediated 21% of the association between maternal age and birth length and 14% of the association with SGA delivery. The average direct effect (ADE) of maternal age on birth length was (β = 0.45, 95% CI [0.17, 0.99]) and the average causal mediated effect (ACME) was (β = 0.12, 95% CI [0.02, 0.15]). We also found an ADE (β = 0.31, 95% CI [0.09, 0.47]) and an ACME of (β = 0.05, 95% CI [0.003, 0.205]) of maternal age on SGA delivery. The sensitivity analysis suggests an unmeasured confounder with a positive correlation of 0.15 and 0.20 between the mediator and the outcome could explain the observed ACME for birth length and SGA, respectively. We cannot make strong causal assertions as the findings suggest the mediator partly explained the total effect of maternal age on both outcomes.     

Low and high birth weight as risk factors for obesity among 4 to 5-year-old Australian children: does gender matter?

Studies testing whether birth weight and childhood obesity differ by gender are lacking. We aimed to describe the relationship between birth weight and childhood overweight/obesity and investigate the influence that gender has on this relationship among 4 to 5-year-old children. We performed a secondary analysis of an Australian nationally representative cross-sectional study in 4 to 5-year-old children. The main outcome measure was child overweight and obesity. We found that low birth weight (LBW) was associated with lower risk of overweight/obesity among girls at 4–5 years before (OR 0.50, 95%CI 0.32, 0.77) and after adjusting for socio-demographic factors (OR 0.51 95% CI 0.33, 0.80) and ethnicity (OR 0.52, 95%CI 0.33, 0.81) but was not associated with child overweight/obesity among boys before or after adjustment. High birth weight (HBW) was associated with a higher risk of overweight/obesity among both girls (adjusted OR: 1.76, 95%CI 1.12, 2.78) and boys (adjusted OR: 2.42 95% CI 2.06, 2.86). Conclusion: There are gender differences in the association of birth weight with child overweight/obesity. HBW was associated with a higher risk of child overweight/obesity in boys and girls before and after adjustment for socio-demographic factors. However, LBW was associated with a lower risk of child overweight/obesity in girls but not in boys. These gender differences need to be considered when planning interventions to reduce child overweight/obesity.     

Leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Wilms tumor in childhood: the role of birth weight

There is emerging evidence that higher birth weight is associated with increased risk of cancer, in particular childhood leukemia. The purpose of this paper is to study whether this correlation is also significant with other childhood cancer. For this, we conducted a case–control study including 410 childhood cancer patients and 1,575 matched controls to investigate birth weight as a risk factor for leukemia, Wilms tumor, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The estimated risk for all cancers has been found to be statistically and significantly higher in birth weight of more than 4,000 g (odds ratio, 2.50 and 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.72–3.63). For leukemia, the estimated risk was 1.86 (95% CI, 1.04–3.30), for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 1.99 (95% CI, 1.08–3.69), and being more remarkable for Wilms tumor, 4.76 (95% CI, 2.73–8.28). Moreover, moderate increased risk of both leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma was also associated with birth weight between 3,000 and 3,999 g. High birth weight was associated with all cancers also when adjusted by gestational age, length at birth, and gender (odds ratio, 6.10 and 95% CI, 1.15–32.57). No associations were found for maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, maternal smoking, or smoking by other people at home or presence of obstetric variables (e.g., gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and abruptio placentae). The present study supports the hypothesis that high birth weight is an independent risk factor for childhood Wilms tumor, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Further studies should explore biological reasons to explain this relationship and, ultimately, to expand our knowledge about prenatal influences on the occurrence of this disease.     

Risk factors for preterm and small-for-gestational-age babies: a cohort from the Pacific Islands Families Study

AIM: To explore risk factors that are associated with preterm birth and full-term small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth for a Pacific population. METHODS: Data were gathered from the Pacific Islands Families Study. Mothers of a cohort of 1398 Pacific infants born in South Auckland, New Zealand during 2000 were interviewed when their infants were 6 weeks old. Mothers were questioned regarding maternal health, antenatal care and life-style behaviours. Data regarding birth outcomes were obtained from hospital records. Analyses focused on 1324 biological mothers who gave birth to a singleton and had valid data for birth outcomes. RESULTS: Of 1324 singleton infants, the mean birthweight was 3.60 kg with standard deviation of 0.60 kg. Fifty-two (3.9%) had birthweight less than 2500 g. Ninety-four (7.1%) were born at less than 37 weeks of gestation. Most socio-demographic factors were not associated with poor birth outcomes. Primiparous birth, less frequent attendance of antenatal care and mother's history of high blood pressure were associated with preterm birth and SGA. Smoking during pregnancy increased the odds of having an SGA but not preterm birth. On the other hand, unplanned/unsure pregnancy and prior early pregnancy loss were associated with preterm birth but not SGA. CONCLUSION: Corroborating research conducted with other populations, most of the internationally and nationally recognised risk factors for preterm birth and SGA are also important for Pacific people. Smoking seems to explain more poor birth outcomes in Pacific Islands than in the New Zealand population as a whole.     

Excess mortality and morbidity among small-for-gestational-age premature infants: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effect of intrauterine growth restriction on mortality and morbidity in the Israel cohort of very low birth weight premature infants. METHODS: The study population included 2764 singleton very low birth weight infants without congenital malformations born from 24 to 31 weeks of gestation during 1995 to 1999. Four hundred six (15%) were born small for gestational age (SGA). The effect of SGA on death, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and retinopathy of prematurity was assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: After adjustment for perinatal risk factors, SGA infants had a 4.52-fold risk for death (95% CI, 3.24-6.33), a 3.42-fold risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (95% CI, 2.29-5.13), and a 2.06-fold risk for grade 3 to 4 retinopathy of prematurity (95% CI, 1.15-3.66). CONCLUSIONS: SGA premature infants had an increased risk for death, and major morbidity among survivors was increased.     

Maternal nutritional risk factors for small for gestational age babies in a developed country: a case-control study

AIMS: To assess the effect of maternal diet during pregnancy on the risk of delivering a baby who is small for gestational age (SGA). METHODS: Case-control study of 844 cases (SGA) and 870 controls (appropriate size for gestational age (AGA)). Only term (37+ completed weeks of gestation) infants were included. Retrospective food frequency questionnaires were completed at birth on the diet at the time of conception and in the last month of pregnancy. RESULTS: At the time of conception, mothers of AGA infants ate significantly more servings of carbohydrate rich food and fruit, and were more likely to have taken folate and vitamin supplements than mothers of SGA infants. There was some evidence that mothers of AGA infants also ate more servings of dairy products, meat, and fish (0.05 < p < 0.1). However, after adjustment for maternal ethnicity, smoking, height, weight, hypertension, and occupation, fish intake (p = 0.04), carbohydrate-rich foods (p = 0.04), and folate supplementation (p = 0.02) were associated with a reduced risk of SGA. In the last month of pregnancy, only iron supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of SGA (p = 0.05) after adjustment for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that small variations in maternal diets within the normal range during pregnancy in developed countries are associated with differences in birth weight.     

Longitudinal follow-up of growth in children born small for gestational age

Postnatal growth was followed in a population-based group of 123 small-for-gestational-age (SGA, birth weight < -2 SD) children (66 boys and 57 girls) to four years of age in order to determine the incidence and time of catch-up growth. Gestational age was determined by ultrasound in gestational weeks 16–17 in all pregnancies, thus eliminating the problem of distinguishing between SGA and preterm infants. Infants with well-defined causes for slow growth rate, i.e. those infants with chromosomal disorders, severe malformations, intrauterine viral infections or cerebral palsy, were excluded. The boys showed an extremely fast weight catch-up, 85% of them reaching weights greater than -2 SD at the age of three months and remaining above this level to the end of the study period. Such a fast catch-up growth was observed in only two-thirds of the girls, but at four years of age 85?4 of the girls were also above -2SD. Length catch-up was more gradual than weight catch-up. Of the boys, 54% had lengths below -2 SD at birth, 26% at 1 year of age, 22% at 2 years of age, 17% at 2.5 years of age and 11% (n= 8) at 4 years of age. Corresponding figures for girls were: 69% at birth, 28%) at 1 year, 15% at 2 years, 12% at 2.5 years and 5%) (n = 3) at 4 years. At 4 years of age, only six boys and three girls remained below -2 SD for both weight and height. We conclude that in Sweden the prognosis for catch-up growth for an SGA child, when children with well-defined causes of growth disturbances are excluded, is very good and it is extremely rare for the child still to have a height below -2 SD by the age of 4 years.     

Does age potentiate the smoking-related risk of fetal growth retardation?

Whether smoking is more harmful in certain pregnancies than others is a matter of controversy. In a large prospective study, interactions between smoking and other risk factors for small-for-gestational-age (SGA) were studied. Practically all Swedish live births between 1983 and 1985 were included, 280 809 births in all. In single births, significant interaction between maternal age on one hand and moderate (1–9 cigarettes/day) or heavy (ten cigarettes or more per day) smoking on the other, were obtained. The relative risk of SGA for heavy smokers versus non-smokers was 1.9 in the lowest age group (15–19 years) and 3.4 among women aged 40–44. Although smoking was twice as common among teenagers as compared to women aged 40–44, the attributable risk of smoking for SGA was higher among the older women. No other significant interactions with regard to fetal growth were obtained.

In Sweden, there has been a shift towards delayed childbearing, and smoking during pregnancy is prevalent. These socio-demographic changes and the increased risk for SGA among older smokers must be considered when evaluating antenatal programs aimed at surveillance of fetal well-being.     

Frequency and risk factors of fetal malnutrition among liveborn singleton term neonates using a computerised perinatal database, 2000–2006

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency, risk factors and anthropometric measurements of fetally malnourished, liveborn singleton term neonates. Methods: The computed delivery room data of 11.741 liveborn singleton term neonates was used to compare malnourished and nourished newborns. Results: Of the total subjects, 577 (4.9%) were malnourished. There were no differences between the groups with regard to gender distribution, Apgar scores, maternal parity, smoking during pregnancy and type of delivery. Maternal age and neonatal gestational age (GA) were significantly lower in malnourished newborns (P < 0.001). Birthweight (BW), birth length (BL) and head circumference (HC) were significantly lower in the malnourished group compared with well‐nourished group (P < 0.001). Mean BW (g) was 2724.7 ± 17.0 in the malnourished group versus 3234.3 ± 3.8 in the well‐nourished group; BL (cm) was 47.8 ± 0.1 in malnourished versus 49.5 ± 0.0 in well‐nourished neonates; HC (cm) was 33.25 ± 0.1 in the malnourished versus 34.3 ± 0.0 in the well‐nourished group. Between the groups, there were significant differences in the ratio of small, appropriate and large for GA (P < 0.001). Of the malnourished newborns, 35.5% were small for GA, 63.3% were appropriate for GA and 1.2% were large for GA. Conclusion: Fetal malnutrition (FM) still exists despite the advances in current obstetric care. Neonates of adolescent mothers and of low GA are particularly at risk for FM. The BW, BL and HC of fetally malnourished neonates are lower than that of well‐nourished neonates. Like term singleton appropriate and small for GA neonates, term singleton large for GA neonates could also have been fetally malnourished.     

Smoking and smoking cessation during early pregnancy and its effect on adverse pregnancy outcomes and fetal growth

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a significant threat to the fetus. We examined the association between active maternal smoking and smoking cessation during early pregnancy with newborn somatometrics and adverse pregnancy outcomes including preterm delivery, low birth weight, and fetal growth restriction. One thousand four hundred mother–child pairs with extensive questionnaire data were followed up until delivery, within the context of a population-based mother–child cohort study (Rhea study), in Crete, Greece, 2007–2008. Comparing smokers to nonsmokers, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 2.8 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.7, 4.6] for low birth weight and 2.6 (95%CI: 1.6, 4.2) for fetal growth restriction. This corresponded to a 119-g reduction in birth weight, a 0.53-cm reduction in length, and a 0.35-cm reduction in head circumference. Smoking cessation early during pregnancy modified significantly these pregnancy outcomes indicating the necessity for primary smoking prevention.