14 DAY TRIAL // Several investigations carried out over the years have revealed that, on a global scale, there are surprisingly wide disparities in terms of the average birth size of babies. Until recently, it was assumed that ethnicity and race were responsible for these differences.
However, a recent paper authored by researchers working with the Oxford University in the United Kingdom argues that, contrary to popular opinion, ethnicity and race have little to no importance when it comes to influencing a baby's birth weight.
A mother's overall health condition, her education, and her diet both prior to and during pregnancy, on the other hand, have a huge say in the matter, the Oxford University specialists behind this research project maintain.
In their report in The Lancet, Diabetes & Endocrinology, the Oxford University researchers explain that, in order to pin down the factors that first and foremost influence a baby's birth weight, they looked at medical records documenting about 60,000 pregnancies.
These medical records were provided by doctors in Brazil, China, India, Italy, Kenya, Oman, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and included information concerning the mothers' lifestyle and overall health, and the babies' development in the womb and their birth size.
It has thus been discovered that babies born to women who were in good health condition, and were also well-educated and well-nourished, were the same size at birth, especially in terms of length (i.e. 49.4 ± 1.9 centimeters / 19.44 ± 0.74 inches), Medical Express informs.
The Oxford University researchers argue that their findings just go to show that, contrary to what some have argued over the years, a mother's educational, health and nutritional background, coupled with the care provided during pregnancy, are the factors that most influence a baby's birth size.
“Currently we are not all equal at birth. But we can be. We can create a similar start for all by making sure mothers are well educated and nourished, by treating infection and by providing adequate antenatal care,” says study lead author Professor Jose Villar.
“Don't tell us nothing can be done. Don't say that women in some parts of the world have small children because they are predestined to do so. It's simply not true,” the University of Oxford researcher goes on to explain, as cited by Phys Org.
This investigation into how various factors influence a baby's birth size was founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its findings are expected to help establish international standards concerning the proper weight and growth rate of fetuses and newborns.