Birth weight has important and longer-lasting effects than we imagine, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Michigan (USA). Specifically, weighing less than 2.5 kilos at birth increases a person's chances of dropping out of high school by a third, reduces their annual earnings on average by around 15 percent and reduces health after 30-40 years, as if they were around 12 years older than their actual age. This study, the first to link birth weight to socioeconomic health and success in adulthood, was based on data from 12,000 Americans.
Also, compared to normal-weight siblings, underweight children are 30% less likely to be in very good health during infancy. It also scores significantly lower in reading, reading, and math. And people with low birth weight are almost twice as likely as their normal birth weight siblings to have problematic health between the ages of 37 and 52.
Other data that the study throws up is that children born with less weight , in relation to their normal weight siblings, work 7.4 percent fewer hours during their adulthood.
