Babies should ideally weigh about 2,500g or more at birth. Birth weight is a vital indicator of foetal and neonatal health. If a newborn weighs less than 2,500g – because they are preterm or their growth in the womb was restricted for some reason – they are more at risk of death, disability and noncommunicable diseases.

The low birth weight infant’s tiny body is not as strong as it should be. The baby might struggle to gain weight and fight infection. And with so little body fat, these babies often have difficulty staying warm in normal temperatures.

Low birth weight is the primary cause of infant morbidity and mortality in Nigeria.

The factors that are known to influence a baby’s weight at birth include duration of pregnancy, and maternal characteristics like age, parity (the number of times a woman has given birth) and illness, as well as adverse environmental exposures.

Nigerian newborns weigh less if their mothers use biomass fuel - a major health risk,