Trends and Correlates of Low Birth Weights in Selected States of India: An Analysis of NFHS Data

Chaitra Todur, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Context: Every year four million babies die in the first month of life and a quarter of these take place in India. In India 30 percent of the babies are born with LBW,thusthis paper gives some of the correlates of LBW with respect to some selected Indian states. Methods: A binary logistic regression equation is selected as the appropriate method to analyze this concept, by taking the dependent variable as LBW which is dichotomous in nature (LBW<2500grams) (Non-LBW>=2500grams).Results: The impact of various socio, economic, Bio-demographic variables like age at first birth, antenatal care service utilization, Birth order, Birth interval, Pregnancy complication, BMI, anemia etc influences the weight of the child. Conclusion: State specific investigation is needed to better understand the reason for difference in LBW babies. In general, further systematic evidence would help identify long-term interventions that will be more affecting the LBW babies.