Risk Factors Associated with Low Birth Weight in Newborns

Babies with a birth weight of less than 2500 gms irrespective of the period of their gestation are termed as Low Birth Weight (LBW) babies. In India 30-35% babies are LBW and more than half of these LBW newborns are full term babies. LBW being one of the global indicators of community health it is imperative that periodic monitoring be undertaken to evaluate the impact of preventive health services. The present study was designed to find out the effect of various socio-economic and maternal factors on the birth weight of institutionally delivered newborns. (excerpt)