in both developed and developing countries, birth at affects neonatal mortality, in addition to being a
significant determinant of post-neonatal infant mortality and of infant and childhood morbidity (1).
Thus, birth weight has long been a subject of clinical
and epidemiological investigations and a target for
public health intervention. In particular, considerable
attention has been focused on the causal determinants
of birth weight, and especially of low birth weight
(LBW), in order to identify potentially modifiable
factors.