Comparison between the motor function of school-aged children with normal birth weight and children with low birth weight: a cross-sectional study

Low birth weight (LBW) children are prone to abnormal neurological signs in tone, coordination and reflexes, due to neonatal complications which lead to development of motor deficits and delays. The aim of the present study was a comparison between the motor function of school-age children with normal birth weight (NBW) and children with LBW. This study was conducted with 471 school-aged children from different districts of West Bengal, India. Different socio-demographic variables of the participants were studied by using a pre-structured schedule questionnaire. Gross motor function was studied by standing broad jump and vertical jump whereas fine motor function was studied by hand reaction time and speed of movement. Jumping skill was better among the boys than girls which implied that the gross motor skill of boys was better than girls. However, the hand reaction time and speed of movement among the girls was better than that of boys which implied that the fine motor skill of girls was better than boys. The postnatal growth of LBW children was significantly lower than that of NBW children. Both gross and fine motor performances of LBW children were significantly poorer than that of NBW children. This study found a strong association between birth weight and motor skills among school-age children even after controlling for the effects of age, gestational age, postnatal growth (height, weight and BMI) and socioeconomic status in a multivariable model. Thus, it appears that babies who are born with LBW have a tendency of neuro-developmental impairments during their childhood. Therefore, long-term monitoring programs and early detection and intervention is necessary in order to minimize future sequelae. The finding of this study indicates the importance of paying special attention to developmental follow up of high risk and LBW infants. It is proposed that more diagnostic evaluations be conducted on LBW infants for all aspects of development.