ESPE Abstracts

Background: Multiple external influences have proved to be of importance in auxology. Sub-group analysis can identify specific factors involved in normal children development.

Objective and hypotheses: The main objective of the study was to identify differences in development in children born the same day from different parents. Our hypothesis was that there are identifiable general factors that predict the growth of a child.

Method: Type of study: cross-sectional; target population: children aged 6–15 born on the same day. Sample: non-randomized, composed of 377 children from four urban and four rural areas of Mures county. Inclusion criteria: identical birth date; exclusion criteria: children born small for gestational age, cardiac, renal disorders, malabsorbtion, and rickets. Variables: sex, environment, birth length, birth weight, height, weight, waist, arm span, sitting height, and breastfeeding period. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee and a written consent was obtained for every child. Children refusing the evaluation were excluded from the final analysis. Statistical analysis used M.O. Excel and Graph Pad InStat with a level of significance 0.05.

Results: 64 pairs of the same sex were identified; children from rural areas were significantly taller than those from urban areas (P<0.001), regardless of the sex. The environment had no influence on other anthropometric variables. Breastfeeding according to WHO recommendations had no significant influence on the height and weight, even after adjusting for sex and environment. No other anthropometric measurements were influenced by the environment or the breastfeeding status.

Conclusion: Children born on the same day tend to be taller in rural areas but do not differ in other anthropometric factors: weight, waist, arm span, and sitting height.