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Stunted growth, also known as stunting or linear growth failure, is defined as impaired growth and development manifested by low height-for-age. [1] It is a manifestation of malnutrition and can be caused by endogenous factors (such as chronic food insecurity) or exogenous factors (such as parasitic infection).
The baby's gestational age (number of completed weeks of pregnancy) at the time of birth and the baby's weight (also a measure of growth) influence whether the baby will survive. Another major factor is gender: male infants have a slightly higher risk of dying than female infants, [41] for which various explanations have been proposed. [42]
Failure to thrive (FTT), also known as weight faltering or faltering growth, indicates insufficient weight gain or absence of appropriate physical growth in children. [2] [3] FTT is usually defined in terms of weight, and can be evaluated either by a low weight for the child's age, or by a low rate of increase in the weight.
One third of low-birth-weight neonates – infants weighing less than 2,500 g (5 lb 8 oz) – are small for gestational age. [citation needed] There is an 8.1% incidence of low birth weight in developed countries, and 6–30% in developing countries. Much of this can be attributed to the health of the mother during pregnancy. One third of ...
The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. The child mortality rate is the number of deaths of infants and children under five years old per 100,000 live births.
Infants with IUGR are also at elevated risk for neurodevelopmental abnormalities, including motor delay and cognitive impairments. Low IQ in adulthood may occur in up to one third of infants born small for gestational age due to IUGR. Infants who fail to display adequate catch-up growth in the first few years of life may exhibit worse outcomes.
The height, weight, and head circumference of a child can be compared to the expected parameters of children of the same age and sex to determine whether the child is growing appropriately. Growth charts can also be used to predict the expected adult height and weight of a child because, in general, children maintain a fairly constant growth curve.
The occurrence of infant mortality in a population can be described by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births. [1] Similarly, the child mortality rate , also known as the under-five mortality rate, compares the death rate of children up to the age of five.