Associations of fetal and postnatal growth trajectories with child cognition: the GUSTO cohort study.

Abstract

Background: Using longitudinal ultrasounds as an improved fetal growth marker, we aimed to investigate if increased postnatal growth following fetal abdominal circumference (AC) growth deceleration is associated with improved child cognition.

Methods: Among 797 term-born singletons in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort, we derived 2nd-3rd trimester fetal AC growth z-score, fetal AC growth deceleration, standardized height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) growth at early infancy (0-4 months), late infancy (4-15 months), toddlerhood (15-37 months), and early childhood (3-7 years), and investigated their associations with intelligence quotient (IQ) at ages 4.5 years (verbal, non-verbal) and 7 years (non-verbal-block design, matrix reasoning), adjusting for socio-demographic and biological confounders.

Results: Among term-born newborns, 23.3% experienced fetal AC growth deceleration, which was associated with lower non-verbal IQ (4.5 years) [β (95% CI), -4.00 (-7.49, -0.51)]. Higher 0-7 years z-BMI gain was associated with lower non-verbal IQ (block design) (7 years) [-1.33 (-2.51, -0.14)]. Higher late infancy z-BMI gain was associated with higher verbal IQ (4.5 years) [3.36 (0.82,5.90)] but lower non-verbal IQ (matrix reasoning) (7 years) [-2.32 (-4.48, -0.17)]. Among those with fetal AC growth deceleration, higher 0-7 years z-weight gain was associated with lower non-verbal IQ (block design) (7 years) (P-interaction = .049); at z-weight gain of +2 standard deviation score (SDS), those with fetal AC growth deceleration had lower IQ [margins (95% CI), -2.6 (-7.1,1.9)]. On average, children with fetal AC growth deceleration caught up in z-height, z-weight, and z-BMI by 7 years.

Conclusion: Fetal AC growth deceleration was associated with lower cognition scores at preschool age. Increased weight or BMI growth from 0-7 years following fetal AC growth deceleration might not be favorable to cognition among generally well-nourished term-born children.