Body composition and motor function in children born large for gestational age at term

Yuji Ito; Tadashi Ito; Sho Narahara; Hideshi Sugiura; Yuichiro Sugiyama; Tetsuo Hattori; Hiroyuki Kidokoro; Takeshi Tsuji; Tetsuo Kubota; Jun Natsume; Koji Noritake; Nobuhiko Ochi

doi:10.1038/s41390-024-03211-6

Body composition and motor function in children born large for gestational age at term

Pediatr Res. 2024 Apr 20. doi: 10.1038/s41390-024-03211-6. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yuji Ito^{1

2}, Tadashi Ito³, Sho Narahara⁴, Hideshi Sugiura⁵, Yuichiro Sugiyama^{6

7}, Tetsuo Hattori⁶, Hiroyuki Kidokoro⁸, Takeshi Tsuji⁴, Tetsuo Kubota⁶, Jun Natsume^{8

9}, Koji Noritake¹⁰, Nobuhiko Ochi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan. yuji.ito@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Pediatrics, Aichi Prefecture Mikawa Aoitori Medical and Rehabilitation Center for Developmental Disabilities, Aichi, Japan. yuji.ito@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
³ Three-Dimensional Motion Analysis Laboratory, Aichi Prefecture Mikawa Aoitori Medical and Rehabilitation Center for Developmental Disabilities, Aichi, Japan.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, Aichi Prefecture Mikawa Aoitori Medical and Rehabilitation Center for Developmental Disabilities, Aichi, Japan.
⁵ Department of Physical Therapy, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
⁶ Department of Neonatology, Anjo Kosei Hospital, Aichi, Japan.
⁷ Department of Pediatrics, Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center Nagoya Daiichi Hospital, Aichi, Japan.
⁸ Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
⁹ Department of Developmental Disability Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Aichi Prefecture Mikawa Aoitori Medical and Rehabilitation Center for Developmental Disabilities, Aichi, Japan.

PMID: 38643264
DOI: 10.1038/s41390-024-03211-6

Abstract

Background: This cross-sectional study compared body composition and motor function between children who were born large for gestational age (LGA) and those born appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and to investigate the association between gait quality and other variables.

Methods: Body composition was determined using a bioelectrical impedance analyzer. Motor functions were assessed using one-leg standing time, timed up-and-go test, five times sit-to-stand test, and three-dimensional gait analysis. We compared the results between two groups. We performed multiple regression analysis to evaluate the association between gait deviation index and variables of LGA, fat mass index, and motor functions (adjusted for age and sex).

Results: Children aged 6-12 years who were born LGA at term (n = 23) and those who were born AGA at term (n = 147) were enrolled. The LGA group had a higher fat mass index (2.9 vs. 2.2, p = 0.006) and lower gait deviation index (91.4 vs. 95.4, p = 0.011) than the AGA group. On multiple regression analysis, gait deviation index was associated with being LGA and fat mass index.

Conclusions: In school-aged children who were born LGA, monitoring increased fat mass index and decreased gait deviation index could lessen the risk of metabolic syndrome and reduced gait function.

Impact: Children aged 6-12 years who were born large for gestational age (LGA) at term showed a higher fat mass index and lower gait deviation index than those who were born appropriate for gestational age at term. No significant differences in balance function or muscle strength were observed between groups. On multiple regression analysis, gait deviation index was associated with being LGA at birth and fat mass index. In school-aged children who were born LGA, monitoring increased fat mass index and decreased gait deviation index could lessen the risk of metabolic syndrome and reduced gait function.