Lower birth weight was associated to smaller brain volumes in some of these children, and smaller brain volume, in turn, was tied to academic deficits.
Low birth weight – defined here as newborns weighing less than 2 500 grams – is an important indicator
of infant health because of the close relationship
between birth weight and infant morbidity and
mortality. There are two categories of low birth weight
babies: those occurring as a result of restricted foetal
growth and those resulting from pre-term birth. Low
birth weight infants have a greater risk of poor health
or death, require a longer period of hospitalisation
after birth, and are more likely to develop significant
disabilities
Not surprisingly, birth weight is the primary measure of a
baby’s health in most analyses of infant health and welfare in
economic research. In some contexts, birth weight is viewed as
the “output” in the study of infant health production functions
and the maternal behaviors that impact infant well-bein
Low birth weight (infants born weighing less than
2500 g) is a very important phenomenon with respect to
birth outcomes in the developing world [1]. Birth weight
is a major determinant of infant morbidity and mortality
[2, 3]. Existing literature has established the associations
between LBW and infant mortality [4]. This is a major
reason that attention to determinants of LBW has to be
given much priority in public health.