Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Birth Weight

Birth weight is the first measured weight of a newborn, recorded shortly after delivery, and it is a key indicator of fetal growth, maternal health, and neonatal prognosis. Clinically it is stratified into low birth weight, normal birth weight, and macrosomia, with values interpreted in relation to gestational age t…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 18× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2998-4785 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Birth weight is the first measured weight of a newborn, recorded shortly after delivery, and it is a key indicator of fetal growth, maternal health, and neonatal prognosis. Clinically it is stratified into low birth weight, normal birth weight, and macrosomia, with values interpreted in relation to gestational age to distinguish prematurity from intrauterine growth restriction. Low birth weight, whether from preterm delivery or restricted fetal growth, is associated with increased neonatal vulnerability and, through developmental programming, with elevated long-term risk of cardiometabolic and other chronic conditions, while excessive birth weight carries its own obstetric and metabolic hazards. Birth weight is influenced by maternal nutrition, anaemia and hemoglobin status, gestational diabetes, placental and umbilical-cord structure, and broader socioeconomic determinants. Research indexed under this topic examines the impact of low birth weight on early vascular aging and cardiometabolic phenotypes in later life, risk factors for macrosomia, maternal hemoglobin thresholds affecting fetal outcome, and the relationship of placental and umbilical anatomy to neonatal status. It further addresses childhood undernutrition, growth monitoring, and the nutritional status of women and children. Approaches include cohort and cross-sectional studies, anatomical analysis, and growth assessment. By linking prenatal conditions to neonatal and later-life outcomes, this body of work informs perinatal care and developmental health within the neonatology and nutrition sciences.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 18 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Birth Weight, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in International Journal of Neonatology (ISSN 2998-4785).

Journal editorial board
Giovanna Bertini · Italy Carmine Garzillo · Italy Rasheda Khanam · United States

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.