BIRTH WEIGHT STANDARDSINA COMMUNITY OF MIXED RACIAL ORIGIN

Abstract

A prospective study of approximately 2000 consecutive deliveries at a north London hospital, with a mixed population distribution of Caucasian, British and Irish, Indian and West Indian mothers was made between May 1975 and August 1976. Most of the results are based on 1322 births of known gestational age. Babies of Indian mothers were found to be approximately 300 g lighter than their Caucasian equivalents at term, and by United Kingdom birth weight standards, 15 per cent of the babies of Indian mothers were below the fifth centile. Birth weights of babies of West Indian mothers ranged between those of the Indian and the Caucasians