Birthweight charts customised for maternal height optimises the classification of small and large-for-gestational age newborns

Bert Zeegers; Pien Offerhaus; Liset Hoftiezer; Floris Groenendaal; Luc J I Zimmermann; Corine Verhoeven; Sanne J Gordijn; Marianne J Nieuwenhuijze

doi:10.1111/apa.17332

Birthweight charts customised for maternal height optimises the classification of small and large-for-gestational age newborns

Acta Paediatr. 2024 Oct;113(10):2203-2211. doi: 10.1111/apa.17332. Epub 2024 Jun 22.

Authors

Bert Zeegers¹, Pien Offerhaus¹, Liset Hoftiezer², Floris Groenendaal³, Luc J I Zimmermann⁴, Corine Verhoeven^{5

6

7

8

9

10}, Sanne J Gordijn¹¹, Marianne J Nieuwenhuijze^{1

12}

Affiliations

¹ Research Centre for Midwifery Science, Zuyd University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
² Department of Neonatology, Amalia Children's Hospital, Radboudumc Graduate School, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Neonatology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
⁴ Department of Paediatrics-Neonatology and School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht UMC, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
⁵ Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Midwifery Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁶ Midwifery Academy Amsterdam Groningen, Inholland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁷ Amsterdam Public Health, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁸ Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁹ Division of Midwifery, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
¹⁰ Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Maxima Medical Centre, Veldhoven, The Netherlands.
¹¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
¹² CAPHRI, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

PMID: 39412950
DOI: 10.1111/apa.17332

Abstract

Aim: To construct birthweight charts customised for maternal height and evaluate the effect of customization on SGA and LGA classification.

Methods: Data were extracted (n = 21 350) from the MiCaS project in the Netherlands (2012-2020). We constructed the MiCaS-birthweight chart customised for maternal height using Hadlock's method. We defined seven 5-centimetre height categories from 153 to 157 cm until 183-187 cm and calculated SGA and LGA prevalences for each category, using MiCaS and current Dutch birthweight charts.

Results: The MiCaS-chart showed substantially higher birthweight values between identical percentiles with increasing maternal height. In the Dutch birthweight chart, not customised for maternal height, the prevalence of SGA (<p10) decreased with increasing maternal height category, from 19.7% in the lowest height category to 3.4% in the highest category (range 16.3%). Conversely, the prevalence of LGA (>p90) increased with increasing height category, from 1.4% in the lowest height category to 21.8% in the highest category (range 20.4%). In the MiCaS-birthweight chart, SGA and LGA prevalences were more constant across maternal heights, similar to overall prevalences (SGA range 3.3% and LGA range 1.7%).

Conclusion: Compared to the current Dutch birthweight chart, the MiCaS-birthweight chart customised for maternal height shows a more even distribution of SGA and LGA prevalences across maternal heights.

Keywords: Hadlock; birthweight; customised birthweight chart; epidemiology; fetal growth; large for gestational age; maternal height; prescriptive birthweight chart; small for gestational.

MeSH terms

Adult
Birth Weight*
Body Height*
Female
Fetal Macrosomia / epidemiology
Growth Charts
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Small for Gestational Age*
Male
Netherlands