Croissance staturo-pondérale des enfants de faible poids de naissance suivis au Centre hospitalier universitaire de la mère et de l’enfant lagune de Cotonou (Bénin)

Objective

To study the evolution of the height and weight growth of low-birth-weight children (LBW) monitored in the nutrition department of the centre hospitalier universitaire mère et enfant lagune in Cotonou, Benin in the absence of national data.

Method

The cross-sectional retrospective and descriptive study, conducted from January to April 2022, covered LBW children aged three to six months who had received at least three regular nutritional follow-ups from birth. Data on birth, anthropometric characteristics at one, two, three, and six months, and children's dietary data were collected through interview with their mothers/guardians and through counting of follow-up records.

Results

All of the LBW children included (n = 51), had a higher height & weight gain among girls. The mean BMI/age z-score was higher in girls compared to boys at three and six months (P < 0.05). There was no difference between the mean z-scores of children at three months versus six months (–1.5 vs –1.6). Three-month nutritional catch-up growth was higher compared to six months (83.3% vs 38.5%), P < 0.001. Children receiving exclusive breastfeeding-EBF (80%) had doubled their birth weights at three months, however we found no difference between the three-month and six-month catch-up growth rates depending on the breastfeeding.

Conclusion

This study showed that LBW children have a height and-weight gain after birth, and EBF promotes good catch-up growth in children at three months of age. Intensified interventions to promote breastfeeding should be encouraged, as should monitoring of child growth.