Number of deaths in a particular birth weight grouping and total number of births in the same weight grouping

Data Source(s):

Service statistics

Purpose:

As discussed in the preceding sections, birth weight is one of the most sensitive predictors of infant survival and is also a good predictor of maternal health and well-being. The mortality rate for low birth weight babies is much higher than for those with a normal birth weight. Stratifying newborn deaths by birth weight helps to determine the cause of death and therefore to identify where interventions are needed. For example, deaths of very small babies are more likely related to maternal causes predisposing to intrauterine growth retardation and preterm birth, whereas deaths of normal birth weight babies are more likely to be related to intrapartum asphyxia and poor obstetric care. In the first case, interventions should focus on the mother (improving nutrition and reducing antenatal infection) and, in the second case, should focus on improving the quality of delivery care. Evaluators can obtain additional information by stratifying birth weight by time of death.

Issue(s):

Evaluators can collect this type of indicator only in settings where all babies are weighed. It is therefore most appropriate for use in health facilities but has served in some community settings as part of a maternal and perinatal health care surveillance system (McCarthy, Lawn, and Ross, 2001).