© 1996 by Oxford University Press
research-article |
Trends in Intra-uterine Growth of Single Live Births in Southern India
*Department of Biostatistics, Christian Medical College Vellore-632 002, India
**Schiffelin Leprosy Research & Training Center Karigiri, Tamil Nadu, India
Trends in intra-uterine growth (IUG) of newborns from 19691973 to 19891993 were studied among rural and urban communities. Yerushalmy's fire group classification of IUG was used. The percent preterm low birthweight (LBW) declined from 7 to 3 in rural and from 5 to 2 in urban areas. The percent of newborns with retardation of IUG declined from 20 to 11 in rural and from 13 to 8 in urban areas. Possible factors contributing to such changes are discussed.