Birth weight and later socio-economic disadvantage: evidence from the 1958 British cohort study

Bartley M, Power C

1994

Britain

This is a study of male subjects born to parents resident in Great Britain during the week of 3-9 March 1958. Data on birth weight and financial difficulties between birth and 23 years were available for 4,321; data on housing conditions and social class at ages 7, 11, and 16 years were available for 3,370. Low birth weight is associated with socio-economic disadvantage in childhood and adolescence.

Such data must be taken into account when interpreting the many studies exploring correlations between adult diseases and birth weight.