PRENATAL-GROWTH AND POSTNATAL-GROWTH IN CHILDREN OF WOMEN WHO SMOKED IN PREGNANCY

Pre- and post-natal growth was studied from week 17 of pregnancy until 5 years of age in children of women who reported daily smoking at the time of conception, and compared to the growth in children of non-smo kers. Fetal abdominal diameter, femur length and biparietal diameter w ere measured in weeks 17 and 37 of pregnancy, and weight, height and h ead circumference were measured at birth, and at 6, 13 and 60 months o f age in 185 children of smokers and 345 children of non-smokers. Cros s sectional data at birth showed that infants of smokers had lower wei ght and length, but similar ponderal index as infants of non-smokers, and this may suggest a symmetrical growth retardation. Longitudinal gr owth curves indicated that the growth retardation took place in the se cond half of pregnancy. During the first 5 years of life, children of smokers had complete catch-up growth in weight, a partial catch-up in height, and no catch-up growth in head circumference. At 5 years, chil dren of smokers had a higher ponderal index and skinfold thickness, su ggesting that these children, on average, were more obese than childre n of non-smokers.