Low Birth Weight and Perinatal Mortality BT - Nutrition and Health in Developing Countries

Abstract

It is widely recognized that weight at birth is an important indicator of fetal and neonatal health for both individuals and populations. Birth weight in particular is strongly associated with fetal, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality; infant and childhood morbidity; and long-term growth and development (1,2). According to the World Bank/World Health Organization (WHO) study of the global burden of disease, low birth weight (LBW) and other perinatal causes are a leading cause of death and disability (3). Of the 2.44 million global deaths resulting from perinatal causes, 97% occur in developing country settings. Thus LBW and perinatal mortality are public health problems of crucial importance in such settings.