# Multifaceted approaches to promoting the growth potential in small-for-gestational-age infants and their clinical relevance

## TL;DR

The study explores how early interventions can help small-for-gestational-age infants catch up in growth and development while avoiding insulin resistance.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that multifaceted early interventions can promote catch-up growth in SGA infants without causing insulin resistance.

## Key findings

- Catch-up group showed significant growth improvements at 12-24 months compared to the control group.
- Catch-up group had better developmental and metabolic indexes at 24 months.
- Early interventions prevent overnutrition-induced insulin resistance in SGA infants.

## Abstract

To investigate the multifaceted approaches to promoting growth potential in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants and their clinical relevance.

This was a retrospective study. A total of 196 SGA infants who were born in the Department of Obstetrics at Baoding Maternal & Child Health Hospital from February 2020 to February 2024 were selected as the study subjects and were divided into the control group (n=98) and the catch-up group (n=98) according to different nursing approaches. Specifically, the clinical value was investigated using the various development index, and maternal anxiety and depression scores.

No significant differences were observed in body weight, height, WAZ, and HAZ between the 2 groups at 3 ~ 9 months of corrected age (P > 0.05), while the body weight, height, WAZ, and HAZ in the catch-up group were greater than those in the control group at 12 ~ 24 months of corrected age, with significant differences (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, at 24 months of correction age, PDI, MDI, FBG and Homa-IAI indexes in the catch-up group were higher than those in the control group, while FINS, Homa-IR, HBCI and anxiety and depression indexes were lower than those in the control group, with statistical significance (P<0.01).

Early interventions in SGA infants with appropriate growth potential can achieve catch-up growth and prevent side effects of overnutrition-induced insulin resistance.