Adanikin Abiodun, Lavin Tina, Ogunkunle Taofik, Eleje George Uchenna, Osoti Alfred, Abdurrahman Aisha, Ohuma Eric
Centre for Healthcare and Communities, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
BMJ Glob Health. 2025 Jun 22;10(6):e018213. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2024-018213.
Although most infants have their birth weights measured, not all newborns have this opportunity, particularly those in low and middle-income countries. This study evaluates neonatal, infant and child mortality among infants who were not weighed at birth compared with peers weighed at birth and to those identified as having low birth weight.
A cross-sectional observational study of 308 414 African children in 33 countries from the most recent nationally representative Demographic Health Surveys was conducted between 2011 and 2022. Mixed effect Cox regression was used to estimate HRs and 95% CIs, with adjustments made for socioeconomic and proximate determinants of child survival.
In total, 116 717 (37.84%) infants did not have their birth weight measured. Compared with infants with a measured birth weight, infants without a measured birth weight were at least three and half-times more likely to die within the initial 28 days of life (HR: 3.51; 95% CI 318 to 3.88), and approximately two times likely to die by their first birthday (HR: 2.15; 95% CI 2.01 to 2.30) or by their fifth birthday (HR: 1.89; 95% CI 1.78 to 2.00), after adjusting for confounding factors. The disparity in survival rates was consistent between infants who were born at health facilities but were weighed or not weighed at birth. Those unweighed at birth also had a higher risk of death at 28 days of life (HR: 1.76; 95% CI 1.53 to 2.02), by the first birthday (HR: 1.33; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.47) and by the fifth birthday (HR: 1.25; 95% CI 1.14 to 1.37) than infants identified as having low birth weights.
Infants whose birth weight is not measured face a higher mortality risk before age 5 compared with those with measured birth weights. The absence of birth weight measurement may indicate a higher risk profile for newborns and their vulnerability to mortality.
尽管大多数婴儿的出生体重会被测量，但并非所有新生儿都有此机会，尤其是低收入和中等收入国家的新生儿。本研究评估了出生时未称重婴儿与出生时称重的同龄人以及被确定为低出生体重婴儿相比的新生儿、婴儿和儿童死亡率。
对2011年至2022年期间来自33个国家的308414名非洲儿童进行了一项横断面观察性研究，这些数据来自最近具有全国代表性的人口与健康调查。采用混合效应Cox回归来估计风险比（HRs）和95%置信区间（CIs），并对儿童生存的社会经济和直接决定因素进行了调整。
共有116717名（37.84%）婴儿未测量出生体重。与测量了出生体重的婴儿相比，未测量出生体重的婴儿在出生后的最初28天内死亡的可能性至少高出三倍半（HR：3.51；95%CI 3.18至3.88），在一岁生日前死亡的可能性约为两倍（HR：2.15；95%CI 2.01至2.30），在五岁生日前死亡的可能性约为两倍（HR：1.89；95%CI 1.78至2.00），在调整了混杂因素后。在医疗机构出生但出生时称重或未称重的婴儿之间，生存率的差异是一致的。出生时未称重的婴儿在出生28天时死亡的风险也更高（HR：1.76；95%CI 1.53至2.02），在一岁生日时（HR：1.33；95%CI 1.21至1.47）和五岁生日时（HR：1.25；95%CI 1.14至1.37）比被确定为低出生体重的婴儿更高。
与测量了出生体重的婴儿相比，出生体重未被测量的婴儿在5岁前面临更高的死亡风险。出生体重未测量可能表明新生儿的风险更高，以及他们对死亡的脆弱性。
