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Underweight Babies
May 17 , 2019
1925 days
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- According to new research published in the Lancet Global Health, more than 20 million babies were born with a low birthweight (2500 grams or 5.5 pounds).
- South Asia has almost half of the world’s low birthweight livebirths with an estimated 9.8 million in 2015.
- More than 80% of the world’s 2.5 million newborns who die every year are low birthweight.
- India has made progress in improving newborn care by building 834 newborn care units in the last decade.
Cause and Effect
- Low birthweight is due to being born too soon (preterm or before 37 weeks of pregnancy) or too small (growth restricted in utero) or both.
- Causes of low birthweight are
- maternal age (both adolescents and older women)
- infections, obesity or undernutrition
- smoking and environmental exposures
- multiple pregnancies and non-medical Caesarean sections.
- Low birthweight babies who survive have a greater risk of stunting and poor development.
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