Physical characteristics of the gravida and their association with birth weight and perinatal death

Many factors are known to affect the incidence of low birth weight. Height, prepregnant weight, and weight gain during pregnancy have all been shown to have associations with the rate of low birth weight. The present study, which includes 5,755 white and 6,012 black patients of term gestation was undertaken to determine the relative importance of each of these interrelated factors on the risk of low birth weight and on the risk of perinatal death. Prepregnant weight and maternal weight gain are shown to be of substantial importance but the effect of maternal height on birth weight is small.