Birth weight is linked to intellectual development

Many studies have shown that clinically low birthweight babies are at risk of poor intellectual development. Few, however, have examined this relation across the full range of birth weights in the general population. Richards et al (p 199) examined the full range of birth weights in a cohort of 3900 males and females and found that birth weight was significantly related to intellectual development and educational attainment. This was observed across the normal birthweight range and was not accounted for by social background. Further work to identify explanatory factors is of particular interest.


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Relevant Article

Birth weight and cognitive function in the British 1946 birth cohort: longitudinal population based study
Marcus Richards, Rebecca Hardy, Diana Kuh, and Michael E J Wadsworth
BMJ 2001 322: 199-203. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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