BACKGROUND Low birth weight deliveries are major causes of a huge health burden on poor economies around the globe. It is even more worrisome in developing countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS The obstetric records of all low birth weight (LBW) deliveries were reviewed from 1 st June 2005 to 30 th May 2009. RESULTS The prevalence of LBW deliveries was 8.3%. Of the LBW babies, 68.4% were preterm...

BACKGROUND This study examines socioeconomic inequality in children's health and factors that moderate this inequality. Socioeconomic measures include household wealth, maternal education and urban/rural area of residence. Moderating factors include reproductive behavior, access to health care, time, economic development, health expenditures and foreign aid. METHODS Data are taken from Demogr...

This study examines factors associated with low birthweight (LBW) in rural Bangladesh. Enrolled in early first trimester, 350 women were followed for duration of pregnancy and data gathered on maternal factors such as social, demographic, anthropometric, biochemical measures and newborn's birth weight within 48 hours of birth. Almost a quarter of babies (24%) were born with LBW and mean birth w...

In this study, we ask if instead of being fundamentally opposed, niche and neutral theories could simply be located at the extremes of a continuum. First, we present a model of recruitment probabilities that combines both niche and neutral processes. From this model, we predict and test whether the relative importance of niche vs. neutral processes in controlling community dynamics will vary de...