Biological and environmental contributions to the growth rates of preterm children aged 0–2 years: a birth cohort study

Objective This study aimed to clarify biological and environmental factors contributing to the growth rates of preterm children. Methods Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify the influence of biological and environmental factors on the reference values for the growth rates and the expression levels of serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in preterm children. Results This study revealed that the growth rates of length and weight in preterm children were significantly lower than those in full-term children during the first 6 months of age, and the growth rate of head circumference in preterm children was significantly lower than that in full-term children during the first 3 months of age ( p < 0.05), and gradually reached the levels of full-term children over time ( p > 0.05). Similarly, the expression levels of serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in preterm children were significantly lower than those in full-term children during the first 12 months of age ( p < 0.05), and gradually reached the levels of full-term children over time ( p > 0.05). In addition, this study found that biological and environmental factors had a significant impact on the growth rates of preterm children. Conclusion This study established scientific parameter models for promoting growth and development of preterm children.