Determinants and Prevention of Low Birth Weight: A Synopsis of the Evidence

The Institute of Health Economics sponsored Dr. Arne Ohlsson and Dr. Prakeshkumar Shah to write this book to inform the May 2007 Consensus Development Conference on Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies: How to Prevent Low Birth Weight. The book provides a synopsis of the research evidence on the determinants and prevention of preterm/low birth weight births.

This book is a synopsis (an overview of the summaries and individual studies) of the evidence on the determinants related to low birth weight births and the effectiveness of strategies and interventions to prevent them. It represents the most comprehensive compilation of the literature on the factors associated with low birth weight births, including preterm, small for gestational age, and intrauterine-growth-restricted births, and the various interventions and strategies used to prevent them. It is a valuable resource for clinicians wishing to understand the multifaceted issue of low birth weight births, as well as a starting point for ascertaining areas where further research may help ameliorate the problem. It should be noted that this book is not a comprehensive systematic review, but a synopsis of the evidence.