Cao Ruixue, Ye Wenjing, Liu Jinrong, Chen Lili, Li Zhe, Ji Hanshu, Zhou Nianjiao, Zhu Qin, Sun Wenshuang, Ni Chao, Shi Linwei, Zhou Yonghai, Wu Yili, Song Weihong, Liu Peining
Department of Pediatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan West Road, Lucheng District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, 325035, China.
Institute of Aging, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, School of Mental Health and the Affiliated Kangning Hospital, North Building of Biological Research, Wenzhou Medical University, Chashan Higher Education Park, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China.
SSM Popul Health. 2024 Apr 23;26:101672. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2024.101672. eCollection 2024 Jun.
Maternal education is one of key factors affecting nurturing environment which significantly impacts children's height levels throughout their developmental stages. However, the influence of maternal education on children's height is less studied. This study aims to investigate the dynamic influence of maternal education on children's height among Chinese children aged 0-18 years.
Children undergoing health examinations from January 2021 to September 2023 were included in this study. Clinical information including height, weight, maternal pregnancy history, blood specimens for bone metabolism-related indicators and maternal education level was collected. Children's height was categorized into 14 groups based on age and gender percentiles, following WHO 2006 growth standards. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), linear regression, chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were applied for data analysis.
A total of 6269 samples were collected, including 3654 males and 2615 females, with an average age of 8.38 (3.97) for males and 7.89 (3.55) for females. Significant correlations between maternal education level, birth weight, birth order, weight percentile, vitamin D, serum phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase levels, and children's height were identified. Birth weight's influence on height varied across age groups. Compared with normal birth weight children, low birth weight children exhibited catch-up growth within the first 6 years and a subsequent gradual widening of the height gap from 6 to 18 years old. Remarkably, the impact of maternal education on height became more pronounced among children above 3-6 years old, which can mitigate the effect of low birth weight on height.
We found that weight percentile, birth weight, birth order, bone marker levels, and maternal education level have significant effect on height. Maternal education attenuates the impact of low birth weight on height. The findings indicated that maternal education plays a consistent and critical role in promoting robust and healthy growth.
母亲教育程度是影响养育环境的关键因素之一，对儿童在整个发育阶段的身高水平有显著影响。然而，母亲教育程度对儿童身高的影响研究较少。本研究旨在探讨母亲教育程度对中国0至18岁儿童身高的动态影响。
本研究纳入了2021年1月至2023年9月接受健康检查的儿童。收集了包括身高、体重、母亲妊娠史、骨代谢相关指标的血液标本以及母亲教育程度等临床信息。根据世界卫生组织2006年生长标准，儿童身高按年龄和性别百分位数分为14组。采用单因素方差分析（ANOVA）、线性回归、卡方检验和Fisher精确检验进行数据分析。
共收集6269份样本，其中男性3654例，女性2615例，男性平均年龄8.38（3.97）岁，女性平均年龄7.89（3.55）岁。确定了母亲教育程度、出生体重、出生顺序、体重百分位数、维生素D、血清磷、碱性磷酸酶水平与儿童身高之间存在显著相关性。出生体重对身高的影响在不同年龄组有所不同。与正常出生体重儿童相比，低出生体重儿童在出生后6年内表现出追赶生长，随后在6至18岁时身高差距逐渐扩大。值得注意的是，母亲教育程度对3至6岁以上儿童身高的影响更为明显，这可以减轻低出生体重对身高的影响。
我们发现体重百分位数、出生体重、出生顺序、骨标志物水平和母亲教育程度对身高有显著影响。母亲教育程度减轻了低出生体重对身高的影响。研究结果表明，母亲教育程度在促进健康茁壮生长方面发挥着持续且关键的作用。
