SynthesisScientific reports2017
A gradient relationship between low birth weight and IQ: A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Level of exposure to aflatoxins during pregnancy and its association with adverse birth outcomes in Africa: a meta-analysis.International health · 2024Pooled it
- Neonatal outcomes after in utero exposure to antipsychotics: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of epidemiology · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of size at birth on health, growth and developmental outcomes in children up to age 18: an umbrella review.Archives of disease in childhood · 2023Pooled it
- The Effects of Maternal Perinatal Depression on Child IQ: A Systematic Review.Maternal and child health journal · 2023Pooled it
- Antenatal multiple micronutrient supplements versus iron-folic acid supplements and birth outcomes: Analysis by gestational age assessment method.Maternal & child nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of Exposure to Natural and Built Environments on Positive and Negative Affect: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2021Pooled it
- Size at birth and cognitive ability in late life: A systematic review.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2019Pooled it
- Cognitive and motor outcomes in children born low birth weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from South Asia.BMC pediatrics · 2019Pooled it
- Effect of nutrition education integrating the health belief model and theory of planned behavior during pregnancy on gestational weight gain and birth weight in Southeast Ethiopia using complex analyses.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Trial
- The Impact of Antenatal Azithromycin and Monthly Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine on Maternal Malaria during Pregnancy and Fetal Growth: A Randomized Controlled Trial.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Trial
- Compliance with and acceptability of two fortified balanced energy protein supplements among pregnant women in rural Nepal.Maternal & child nutrition · 2022Trial
- Effects of guided counseling during pregnancy on birth weight of newborns in West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.BMC pediatrics · 2020Trial
- Cognitive reserve in non-affective first-episode psychosis: contributions of polygenic scores, early clinical features, and environment.Psychological medicine · 2026Article
- Unveiling socio-demographic determinants of low birth weight using machine learning techniques.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Neonatal mortality risk for vulnerable newborn types in 15 countries using 125.5 million nationwide birth outcome records, 2000-2020.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2025Article
- Relationship between inter-pregnancy interval and risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in subsequent twin pregnancies.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Interactions between infant characteristics and parenting factors rarely replicate across cohorts and developmental domains.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2025Article
- Socioeconomic inequality and determinants of low birth weight in Kenya: a multilevel analysis using 2022 demographic and health survey.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Article
- The effect of birthweight and gestational age on cognitive function in midlife: the Bogalusa heart study.BMC neurology · 2025Article
- Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Multiple studies have reported that individuals with low birth weights (LBW, <2500 g) have a lower intelligence quotient (IQ) than those with normal birth weights (NBW, ≥2500 g). Based on 57 eligible individual studies including 12,137 participants, we performed a meta-analysis to estimate the association between low birth weight and individuals' IQ scores (IQs). The pooled weight mean difference (WMD) in IQs between NBW and LBW individuals was 10 (95% CI 9.26-11.68). The WMD was stable regardless of age. No publication bias was detected. The mean IQs of the extremely low birth weight (ELBW, <1000 g), very low birth weight (VLBW, 1000-1499 g), moderately low birth weight (MLBW, 1500-2499 g) and NBW individuals were 91, 94, 99 and 104, respectively. Additionally, the WMD in IQs with NBW were 14, 10 and 7 for ELBW, VLBW, and MLBW individuals, respectively. Two studies permitted estimates of the influence of social determinants of health to the discrepancy in IQs, which was 13%. Since IQ is inherited and influenced by environmental factors, parental IQs and other factors contribute to residual confounding of the results. As the conclusion was based on population studies, it may not be applicable to a single individual.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.