 One in five babies too small at birthOne in five babies born in developing countries weighs less than the standard for a healthy-sized baby: 2.5 kg (about 5.5 pounds). The four countries with the highest rates of underweight births—Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—are all in South Asia. It is also the region with the highest rates of child malnutrition, underscoring the fact that low-birthweight babies are more susceptible to disease and tend to grow up malnourished.Low birthweight is a major factor in the global total of more than 5 million yearly neonatal deaths. In developing countries, low birthweight usually results from maternal malnutrition. Some developing countries—including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Mongolia, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates—have re-duced low-weight births to levels equal to or lower than those of industrialized countries. From age 1 to 3, children born underweight face increased risk of seizures, blindness and deafness, cerebral palsy and mental retardation. Low birthweight is also linked to a small impairment in cognitive development. Most data on underweight births come from hospital records, leaving out the many babies born at home. How this factor skews the data is uncertain. A hospital birth may indicate higher income and therefore better nutrition, or it could indicate a higher-risk birth, possibly skewing the data towards lower birthweight. |