ArticleBMJ open2020
Social inequalities in low birthweight outcomes in Sri Lanka: evidence from the Demographic and Health Survey 2016.
Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence, interactions, determinants and outcomes of low birth weight, small for gestational age and fetal growth restriction among term neonates.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Stunting and inequality in Sri Lanka compared with other low- and middle-income South Asian countries.Public health nutrition · 2025Article
- Article
- Mobilising Communities Prior to Healthcare Interventions: Reflections on the Role of Public Health Midwives Working With Vulnerable Communities of Sri Lanka.Community health equity research & policy · 2024Article
- Determinants of birthweight in rural Sri Lanka; a cohort study.BMC pediatrics · 2023Article
- More is not enough: High quantity and high quality antenatal care are both needed to prevent low birthweight in South Asia.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Socioeconomic inequalities in low birth weight in South Asia: A comparative analysis using Demographic and Health Surveys.SSM - population health · 2022Article
- A mediation analysis of the role of girl child marriage in the relationship between proximity to conflict and past-year intimate partner violence in post-conflict Sri Lanka.Conflict and health · 2022Article
- Study protocol for UNICEF and WHO estimates of global, regional, and national low birthweight prevalence for 2000 to 2020.Gates open research · 2022Article
- Newborn low birth weight: do socio-economic inequality still persist in India?BMC pediatrics · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo investigate social inequalities underlying low birthweight (LBW) outcomes in Sri Lanka.
designCross-sectional study.
settingThis study used the Sri Lanka Demographic and Health Survey 2016, the first such survey to cover the entire country since the Civil War ended in 2001.
participantsBirthweight data extracted from the child health development records available for 7713 babies born between January 2011 and the date of interview in 2016. OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome variable was birth weight, classified as LBW (≤2500 g) and normal.
methodsWe applied random intercept three-level logistic regression to examine the association between LBW and maternal, socioeconomic and geographic variables. Concentration indices were estimated for different population subgroups.
resultsThe population-level prevalence of LBW was 16.9% but was significantly higher in the estate sector (28.4%) compared with rural (16.6%) and urban (13.6%) areas. Negative concentration indices suggest a relatively higher concentration of LBW in poor households in rural areas and the estate sector. Results from fixed effects logistic regression models confirmed our hypothesis of significantly higher risk of LBW outcomes across poorer households and Indian Tamil communities (AOR 1.70, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.83, p<0.05). Results from random intercept models confirmed there was substantial unobserved variation in LBW outcomes at the mother level. The effect of maternal biological variables was larger than that of socioeconomic factors.
conclusionLBW rates are significantly higher among babies born in poorer households and Indian Tamil communities. The findings highlight the need for nutrition interventions targeting pregnant women of Indian Tamil ethnicity and those living in economically deprived households.
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