Birth weight
mass of an organism at birth / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 with a normal one.[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% in 2006; 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, and intelligence. Low birth weight is associated neonatal infection and infant mortality.