How much does a child's birthweight influence their growth through childhood?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-07-09 01:00

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Children born at a higher birthweight for their gestational age are likely to have a bigger height and weight well into their childhood, according to international research. The team followed the growth trajectories of more than 36,000 babies in Europe and 2500 from elsewhere in the world until they were 10 years old - comparing how their initial birthweight for their gestational age influenced their growth throughout the study. The researchers say babies born with the lowest percentile birthweight and the highest percentile birthweight followed opposite patterns - smaller babies went on to be below average height and weight up to age five, and vice versa for the larger babies. At 10 years, the researchers say the children who had the highest birthweight were at a higher risk of overweight or obesity.