Seven caveats on the use of low birthweight and related indicators in health research
- 1Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- 2Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, St Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Correspondence to Dr Marcelo Urquia, St Michael's Hospital, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8, Canada; marcelo.urquia{at}utoronto.ca
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Contributors MU led the writing of the manuscript. JGR contributed to, revised and approved all versions.
- Accepted 3 July 2012
- Published Online First 31 July 2012
Abstract
Birthweight and gestational age are the two most commonly used continuous variables in perinatal research. Dichotomous outcomes derived from these two variables include low birthweight, preterm birth and small for gestational age, each extensively used as perinatal and population health indicators within public health research and health surveillance systems. However, these dichotomous indicators have inherent limitations that need to be considered in the design, analysis and interpretation of epidemiological studies. In this report, we present seven caveats that may help researchers and users of epidemiological data avoid common (and not so common) pitfalls in the consideration of these indicators.
Footnotes
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Competing interests None.
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Provenance and peer review Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
