The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to an increased incidence of low birth weight in India

The incidence of low birth weight has risen sharply in India amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from the University of Notre Dame.

Globally, 1 in 4 newborns has a low birth weight (less than 5.5 kg) and the problem disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries -. particularly in South Asia, home to about a quarter of the world’s population.

Santosh Kumar, associate professor of development and global health economics at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, co-authored the study published in Communication Medicinea journal of the Nature series.

This research shows that low birth weight became more common in India during the pandemic. We have seen the worsening of a global health problem that is affecting educational outcomes and poverty rates.”

Santosh Kumar, associate professor of development and global health economics at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs

“Children who have lower birth weight as infants often continue to struggle in school, and this limits their ability to develop what economists often call ‘human capital’ – the basic knowledge and skills that will affect their ability to earn good living and support themselves and their families.”

The study found that babies born between April 2020 and April 2021 had lower birth weights than previous birth cohorts (those born before the pandemic), Kumar said. The researchers analyzed data from more than 200,000 infants, Kumar said, including a pandemic cohort of nearly 12,000 infants and a pre-pandemic cohort of about 192,000.

The prevalence of low birth weight was 20 percent in the pandemic group, up from 17 percent in the pre-pandemic group, Kumar said, and infants in the pandemic group weighed about four-tenths of an ounce less than those in the pre-pandemic group. the pandemic. club.

Many factors related to the pandemic may have influenced pregnant women’s health behaviors and contributed to lower birth weight, Kumar said, including SARS-CoV-2, stress related to social distancing , economic turmoil and disruption of maternal and newborn care.

Co-authors of the study were Clare Hill, a Notre Dame undergraduate majoring in political science and global affairs with a minor in data science, and Timothy J. Halliday, an economist at the University of Hawaii. The study received funding from the Keough School’s Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

Kumar said this latest research, which expands on his work at the intersection of poverty and global health, underscores the need for targeted policies that reduce the incidence of low birth weight -. For example, ensuring that women from low-income populations have an adequate intake of nutrients and calories during pregnancy and also have access to quality antenatal care.

“Our research highlights the need for targeted policies to reduce the risk of low birth weight,” Kumar said. “This will help create greater educational and economic opportunities and ultimately reduce poverty.”