Durations for Reaching Normal Weight and Height Standards of Low Birth Weight Babies

Abstract

Low birth weight 214 babies are followed up for the durations to reach up normal values of weight-for-age and height-for-age standards. Data related to weight and height measures are obtained from the groıvth charts o f the babies and other data through interviewing by mothers. Babies who reach to-2 S D o f WHO-NCHS reference valııes are accepted as '"normal" . 84.1% of the babies caught the normal valııes fo r weight for age in one year. it was observed that the duration for catching up the normal values significantly decreases as the birth weight increases (p< 0.05). 44.4% of the babies height were normal at birth. 72.8% of the rest, caught up the normal values in one year. No relation was observed in between reaching normal values and sev er al factors such as duration of pregnancy, sex, mothers ’ age and education level, number of living and died children, birth interval, family type, household and duration of breast-feeding (p> 0.05).