Birth weight

Baby weighed as appropriate for gestational age

Birth weight is the body weight of a baby at their birth.[1] The average birth weight in babies of European and African descent is 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb), with the normative range between 2.5 and 4.0 kilograms (5.5 and 8.8 lb).[2] On average, babies of Asian descent weigh about 3.25 kilograms (7.2 lb).[3][4] The prevalence of low birth weight has changed over time. Trends show a slight decrease from 7.9% (1970) to 6.8% (1980), then a slight increase to 8.3% (2006), to the current levels of 8.2% (2016).[5][6] The prevalence of low birth weights has trended slightly upward from 2012 to the present.[7]

Low birth weight is associated with neonatal infection, infant mortality, as well as illness into adulthood.[8] Numerous studies have attempted, with varying degrees of success, to show links between birth weight and later-life conditions, including diabetes, obesity, tobacco smoking, and intelligence.[9]

  1. ^ "Definitions". Georgia Department of Public Health. 4 December 2008. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Birthweight: Infant's weight recorded at the time of birth
  2. ^ "Birth Weight and Subsequent Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis". academic.oup.com. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. ^ "New birth weight curves tailored to baby's ethnicity | Toronto Star". thestar.com. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  4. ^ 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–e88. PMC 2802014. PMID 20101298.
  5. ^ "Low and very low birthweight infants". Child Trends Databank. 2016.
  6. ^ "FastStats". www.cdc.gov. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Australia's mothers and babies, Birthweight". Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  9. ^ Zhao Y, Wang SF, Mu M, Sheng J (December 2012). "Birth weight and overweight/obesity in adults: a meta-analysis". European Journal of Pediatrics. 171 (12): 1737–1746. doi:10.1007/s00431-012-1701-0. PMID 22383072. S2CID 25950922.