Longitudinal study of growth of African babies: an analysis of seasonal variations in the average growth rate and the effects of infectious diseases on individual and average growth patterns.

The aim of the present study is to produce standards of weight for age and to analyse the effects of seasonal variation and of infectious disease on the rate of growth in weight of Central African babies. The study is based on longitudinal data of 4030 babies, aged 0-4 years, living in the North Western tropical forests of Zaire. The growth rate in weight shows a cyclic pattern which appears to be synchronized with the alterations of rainy and dry seasons, the rainy seasons slowing down the growth velocity below average. The interactions of genetic and nutritional factors are discussed. Infectious diseases such as measles and whooping cough tend to slow down growth in varying degrees. The effects were studied in terms of loss in weight and the amount of time needed to fully catch-up.