Relation between infants' birth weight and mothers' mortality: prospective observational study

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Abstract
In the longitudinal study, information from birth registrations of infants during 1976–97 is linked to data from the census and death registration (1976–97) for study members. Birth weight was collected from 1976 onwards, but during the 1970s the data were not complete. The first recorded birth weight of infants to 44 813 women aged 15–45 years at birth registration was used as the exposure measure. Mean birth weight was 3210 g (SD 566 g). The average birth weight changed little over the study period (4.6 g increase a year, 95% confidence intervals 3.6 g to 5.6 g). The difference between average male birth weight and average female birth weight (99 g) was subtracted from each male birth weight. Socioeconomic position (housing tenure and car access) of mothers was taken from the 1971 census.