Birth Weight - Determinants

Determinants

There are basically two distinct determinants for birth weight:

• The duration of gestation prior to birth, that is, the gestational age at which the child is born

• The prenatal growth rate, generally measured in relation to what weight is expected for any gestational age.

The incidence of birth weight being outside what is normal is influenced by the parents in numerous ways, including:

• Genetics
• The health of the mother, particularly during the pregnancy
• Environmental factors, including exposure of the mother to secondhand smoke
• Economic status of the parents gives inconsistent study findings according to a review on 2010, and remains speculative as a determinant.
• Other factors, like multiple births, where each baby is likely to be outside the AGA, one more so than the other