Abstract

In Africa, data on incidence of babies' low birthweight are based virtually exclusively on information derived from deliveries in hospitals. The incidence of low birthweight is about double that prevailing in developed countries. However, in a rural region in southern Africa, after painstakingly overcoming local strongly entrenched custom, it was found possible to organize the measurement of newborn babies born at home. It was found that the incidence of low birthweight was about half of that among babies born in hospitals--that is the proportion was similar to that of developed populations.