The babys weight is an indicator of the mother and babys health. In 2013, 22 million newborns had low birth weight, around 16 percent of all babies globally. Data on low birth weight is adjusted to account for under reporting. South Asia has the highest rate of babies not weighed at birth with 66 percent, but also have the highest low birth weight at 28 percent worldwide. West and Central Africa and least developed countries are next with 14 percent low birth weight worldwide.More than 96.5% of low birth weight babies are born in developing countries around the world. Because low birth weight babies can require more extensive care, it places a financial burden on communities. Prevention
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced an initiative to have a thirty percent reduction in low birth weight worldwide. This is public health priority, as birth weight can have short and long term effects. WHO estimates that worldwide, 15-20 % of all births each year are considered low birth weight, which is about 20 million births.The start of prenatal care is very important to help prevent low birth weight and early medical problems. Going to regular doctors visits is very important for the health of the mother and the baby. At the visits the OB/GYN will be checking maternal nutrition and weight gain because that is linked with the babys weight gain. The mother having a healthy diet is essential for the baby.
One way to decrease rates of low birth weight and premature delivery is to focus on the health of women prior to conception through reproductive education, screening and counseling regarding mental health issues and stress, and access to primary care. Racial stress
Non-Hispanic Blacks have the highest infant mortality rate in the United States (11.4 deaths per 1,000 live births compared to the national average of 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births). Subsequently,  there has been growing research supporting the idea of racial discrimination as a risk factor for low birth weight. In one study by Collins et al., evidence suggested that African American mothers who experienced high levels of racial discrimination were at significantly higher risk of delivering a very low-birth weight baby compared to African American mothers who had not experienced racial discrimination. Black infants (13.2%) are more likely to have low birth weight compared to Asian and Pacific Islander (8.1%), American Indian and Alaska Native (7.6%), Non-Hispanic White (7.0%), and Hispanic Infants (7.1%). Environmental factors
Environmental factors, including exposure of the mother to secondhand smoke can be a factor in determining the birth weight of child. In 2014, 13% of children exposed to smoke were born with low birth weight compared with 7.5% of those children born to nonsmokers. Children born to mothers who smoked or were exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to develop health problems earlier in life such as neurodevelopmental delays.