Influence of Maternal Weight, Smoking, and Socioeconomic Status on Infant Triceps Skinfold Thickness and Growth During the First Year

: The effect of pregravid weight-for-height status, pregnancy weight gain, demographic factors, and smoking on several infant growth parameters from birth to eleven months of age was investigated in 120 mother/infant pairs. Pregravid weight-for-height status and total weight gain during pregnancy were positively related to infant birth weight but were not predictive of triceps skinfold measurements or changes in weight/length ratios from one to eleven months of age measured at bimonthly intervals. Although maternal smoking habits were related to lower infant birthweight, they did account for some increase in triceps measurements and changes in weight/length ratios at nine to eleven months of age. In light of the fact that maternal factors were not highly predictive of infant growth, except at birth, other factors in the early infant environment may play a more significant role in determining infant growth patterns.