engleski

Birth weight and birth length of healthy newborns in Zagreb area, Croatia

The aim of this study was to reassess the standards for birth weight of healthy newborns from Zagreb area, Croatia. We investigated the changes in birth weight since the last published data in 1982 in view of secular trend and recent changes in population demographic structure caused by the war. Our sample included all children born in 2001 at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the Zagreb Faculty of Medicine. To produce growth charts with percentile curves that show reliable correlation between weeks of gestation and birth weight, small number of data points in 28th - 37th week of gestation was supplemented with the data from the years 2000, 2002 and 2003. After exclusion of stillbirths, multiple pregnancies and high impact malformations, final sample consisted of 5, 036 deliveries. Four growth charts were constructed, separately by gender (male or female) and mother's parity (primiparous or mutiparous). In comparison to previously published standards, our study showed lower weight of newborns in 5th, 10th and 25th percentiles. The values of newborn weight in the 50th percentile were similar, while the birth weight of contemporary sample in 75th, 90th and 95th percentile values was greater. The heaviest newborns were found in male child - multiparous sub-sample (50th percentile for 40th gestational week was 3620 g), while the smallest weights were recorded in female child - primiparous sub-sample (50th percentile for 40th gestational week was 3350 g). The average increase of birth weight for all newborns between the present study and previous data was 57 g. Decrease in weight in children delivered after shorter gestation is likely explained with improvements in survival of preterm newborns of smaller weight. The increased weight in upper end of percentile curves is attributed to secular trend.

birth weight; birth length; newborns; Zagreb; Croatia

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