Birth weight

Birth weight is the weight of a baby at birth.^[1] The average birth weight in babies of Europeans is 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb); the range of normal weights is from 2.5 to 4.5 kilograms (5.5 to 9.9 lb). On average, babies of south Asian and Chinese people weigh about 3.26 kilograms (7.2 lb).^[2][3] The birth weight of a baby is important. Babies with a low birth weight are 100 times more likely to die compared to babies of a normal weight.^[4]

The rates of babies with low birth weight have changed. In 1970, 7.9% had a low birth weight. In 1980, this dropped to 6.8%. In 2006, it slightly increased to 8.3%, and the current level is at 8.2%, for the year 2016.^[4][5] The prevalence of low birth weight has trended slightly upward from 2012 to present day.^[6]

Studies have tried to link birth weight with other conditions that occur in later life, such as diabetes, obesity, tobacco smoking^{[verification needed]}, and intelligence. Low birth weight is associated neonatal infection and infant mortality.

1. ↑ "Definitions". Georgia Department of Public Health. 4 December 2008. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2022. Birthweight: Infant's weight recorded at the time of birth {{cite web}}: More than one of |archivedate= and |archive-date= specified (help); More than one of |archiveurl= and |archive-url= specified (help)
2. ↑ "New birth weight curves tailored to baby's ethnicity | Toronto Star". thestar.com. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
3. ↑ Janssen PA, Thiessen P, Klein MC, Whitfield MF, Macnab YC, Cullis-Kuhl SC (July 2007). "Standards for the measurement of birth weight, length and head circumference at term in neonates of European, Chinese and South Asian ancestry". Open Medicine. 1 (2): e74-88. PMC 2802014. PMID 20101298.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "Low and very low birthweight infants". Child Trends Databank. 2016. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
5. ↑ "FastStats". www.cdc.gov. 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
6. ↑ Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJ, Driscoll AK, Drake P (January 2018). "Births: Final Data for 2016". National Vital Statistics Reports. 67 (1): 1–55. PMID 29775434.