ABSTRACT
To evaluate the growth course of children with failure to thrive (FTT) who receive aggressive management, we reviewed the 2-year experience of a secondary level ambulatory diagnostic and management clinic for children with FTT in a mostly rural state. We examined the children managed in this setting for cause of FTT, for growth outcomes after 1 year according to FTT clinical type, and for differentiating predisposing sociodemographic information Of 154 children referred to this clinic, 131 were diagnosed as suffering from FTT. Eighteen were admitted to the hospital after initial outpatient evaluation, and 93 were followed for at least 1 year. Twenty-two (17%) suffered from organic, 59 (45%) non-organic, and 46 (35%) mixed etiology FTT. After 1 year, 48 (52%) of the FTT children were improved, 37 (40%) were stable, and 8 (9%) were worse. Children placed in foster care were more likely to be improved (78%). FTT children considered improved after 1 year demonstrated the following at the time of initial diagnosis: lower maternal income, lower maternal education, and lower family socioeconomic status; higher birth order; more often black; and less likely for the father to be present in the home (all p less than or equal to .05). This experience offers several insights into the growth course and team management of FTT children.
Subject(s)
Failure to Thrive/therapy , Growth , Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care , Outpatient Clinics, Hospital , Arkansas , Body Weight , Failure to Thrive/diagnosis , Failure to Thrive/etiology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Foster Home Care , Humans , Infant , Male , Patient Care Team , Prospective Studies , Rural Population , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Nonorganic failure-to-thrive (NOFT) is a clinical syndrome that is poorly understood and inadequately studied. Because empirical data are lacking, an attempt was made to identify differentiating aspects of the mother-infant interaction and environment of infants with NOFT compared with those of matched infants who grew normally. Prospectively, 23 infants who were suffering from NOFT were chosen in a referral clinic. Each infant was matched with a control subject with normal growth by age, sex, and race of the infant and family income, maternal education, and number of people living in the household. An assistant who was unaware of infant growth status visited the homes of these infants within 3 weeks of diagnosis and gathered: the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME); the Coddington Life Events Record; and the Index of Parent Attitude Scales. The total HOME Inventory and the subscales entitled Maternal Acceptance of the Child, Organization of the Physical Environment, and Emotional Responsivity were significantly less favorable (P less than .05) in the NOFT group. There were no group differences in the Life Events Record and the Parent Attitudes Scales. A discriminant function analysis correctly placed 32 of the 46 infants into failure-to-thrive and control groups. It is concluded that certain aspects of the home environments of infants with NOFT differ from those of infants of similar socioeconomic status who grow normally.
