Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Limited Bedding and Nesting as a Model for Early-Life Adversity in Mice
04:20

Limited Bedding and Nesting as a Model for Early-Life Adversity in Mice

Published on: July 12, 2024

As low birth weight babies grow, can well-educated parents buffer this adverse factor? A research note

Ming-Jen Lin1, Jin-Tan Liu, Shin-Yi Chou

  • 1Department of Economics, National Taiwan University, No. 21, Hsu-Chow Road, Taipei, Taiwan. mjlin@ntu.edu.tw

Demography
|June 23, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Low birth weight (LBW) negatively impacts college attendance, but parental education can mitigate this effect. Discrimination against daughters is observed, but only if they were born with low birth weight.

Area of Science:

  • Sociology
  • Pediatrics
  • Education

Background:

  • Low birth weight (LBW) is a significant global health concern.
  • Academic achievement is influenced by various socioeconomic and health factors.
  • Understanding the long-term educational outcomes for LBW children is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between low birth weight (LBW) and subsequent college attendance.
  • To examine the moderating role of parental education on LBW's impact on academic outcomes.
  • To explore gender-based discrimination in academic attainment among LBW individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized two national Taiwanese datasets.
  • Employed statistical analysis to correlate LBW, parental education, and college attendance.
  • Investigated conditional effects based on LBW severity and birth term.

Main Results:

  • LBW was negatively associated with college attendance by age 18.
  • Higher parental education (college or high school graduates) partially offset the negative effects of LBW.
  • Gender discrimination was evident, specifically affecting daughters born with LBW.
  • Parental education buffered LBW's impact more effectively for moderately LBW and full-term LBW children.

Conclusions:

  • Parental education is a key factor in mitigating the long-term academic disadvantages associated with LBW.
  • Targeted interventions may be needed to address gender-based disparities in educational outcomes for LBW girls.
  • The findings highlight the complex interplay between birth weight, socioeconomic status, and educational trajectories.

More Related Videos

Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes03:19

Modifying Levels of Maternal Dietary Folic Acid or Choline to Study the Impact of Deficiencies on Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

Concurrent Collection of Fetal Murine Brain and Serum to Assess Effects of Maternal Diet on Nutrition and Neurodevelopment in Neurofibromatosis Type 105:44

Concurrent Collection of Fetal Murine Brain and Serum to Assess Effects of Maternal Diet on Nutrition and Neurodevelopment in Neurofibromatosis Type 1

Published on: May 17, 2024

Related Concept Videos

Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children from...
Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience, such as differences...
Regression Toward the Mean01:52

Regression Toward the Mean

Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when researchers try to extrapolate results...
Parental Care00:55

Parental Care

Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
Development of Human Microbiota01:30

Development of Human Microbiota

The human microbiota begins developing at birth and undergoes continual change as we age. Infancy marks a critical period of microbial sensitivity, offering a “window of opportunity” during which beneficial microbes help mature the immune system. By age three, children typically develop a more stable and diverse microbial community. Newborns acquire microbes from their immediate environment; vaginal delivery favors maternal vaginal microbes, while cesarean births favor microbes from the skin...
Biological Influences on Intelligence01:30

Biological Influences on Intelligence

Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter more...