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Birth weight and cognitive ability in childhood: a systematic review

Susan D Shenkin1, John M Starr, Ian J Deary

  • 1Department of Clinical and Surgical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Psychological Bulletin
|November 13, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Even in normal birth weight babies, higher birth weight is linked to better childhood cognitive ability. Parental social class also plays a significant role, independent of birth weight.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Health
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Prenatal factors influence cognitive development.
  • Previous research linked low birth weight to cognitive deficits.
  • The association between normal birth weight and cognitive ability is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review the literature on the relationship between normal birth weight and childhood intelligence.
  • To determine if birth weight within the normal range predicts cognitive ability in term deliveries.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature review.
  • Included studies focused on term deliveries with birth weights > 2,500g.
  • Narrative synthesis of findings from six eligible studies.

Main Results:

  • A small but consistent positive association was found between normal birth weight and childhood cognitive ability.
  • This association persisted after controlling for potential confounders.
  • Parental social class was a stronger predictor of cognitive ability than birth weight, and the two were largely independent.

Conclusions:

  • Birth weight within the normal range shows a modest positive association with later cognitive ability.
  • Parental socioeconomic factors are a significant influence on childhood intelligence.
  • Both prenatal factors (birth weight) and postnatal/environmental factors (social class) contribute to cognitive development.

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