Conclusion
In Jordanian healthy term newborns, leptin levels correlate with sex and intrauterine growth parameters.
Methods
A cross-sectional descriptive study that involved 170 term newborns was conducted. A working sheet for data collection was created for each newborn and included sex, weight, length, head circumference, gestational age, and Apgar score. Blood samples were obtained from the umbilical cord vein of newborns after delivery to measure serum leptin levels. Data are shown as frequency, percentages, means, and standard deviations.
Results
We found that the mean leptin level was 1.17 ± 0.48 ng/mL. The independent t-test showed that the mean leptin level in boys (0.93 ± 0. 34 ng/mL) was significantly lower than that in girls (1.38 ± 0.47 ng/mL). Pearson's correlations showed that leptin levels of newborns were positively and significantly correlated with weight, length, and head circumference.