Study on factors associated with low birth weight babies at Uitenhage Hospital

by Oliver, Lawrence Tommy

The incidence of Low Birth Weight (LBW) babies born in the Uitenhage Provincial Hospital would seem to be a cause of concern from a public health of view. The incidence of 21% recorded during 1999 is markedly higher than the 7% recorded in the United States of America in 1998 and the average of 17% noted for developing countries. Some health concerns related to LBW babies are Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, scholastic performances later in life, and several chronic diseases in adults associated with them having been born as LBW babies.