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Association between birth weight and mortality in adulthood in a cohort from North-West Italy

Lorenzo Milani1, Elena Farina2, Paola Armaroli3

  • 1Centre for Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Public Health, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Orbassano, Turin, Italy.

Public Health
|August 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Low birth weight increases the risk of adult mortality from all causes and cardiovascular diseases. This risk is sex-specific, impacting cardiovascular mortality in females and nervous system diseases in males.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Longitudinal Studies

Background:

  • Globally, approximately 15% of newborns are underweight, posing potential long-term health risks.
  • Low birth weight is linked to increased mortality from various causes, including cardiovascular disease.
  • High birth weight is also associated with increased risk for certain conditions like cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between birth weight and adult mortality from diverse causes.
  • Utilize data from the Turin Longitudinal Study (TLS) for comprehensive analysis.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a health-administrative cohort from the Turin Longitudinal Study (TLS).
  • Inclusion of 2992 individuals born in the 1920s, followed from 1971 to 2013.
  • Assessment of birth weights (<2500g, <2800g, ≥4000g) and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular, cancer, respiratory, nervous system, and digestive diseases using survival and competing risk models.

Main Results:

  • Low birth weight (<2500g or <2800g) emerged as a significant risk factor for all-cause mortality.
  • Low birth weight was associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases.
  • Sex-stratified analysis revealed low birth weight linked to cardiovascular mortality in females and nervous system disease mortality in males.

Conclusions:

  • Low birth weight is a critical risk factor for adult mortality, encompassing all causes and specific conditions like cardiovascular and nervous system diseases.
  • Findings underscore the importance of addressing non-normal birth weights to mitigate long-term health outcomes.
  • The study highlights the need for public health policies aimed at reducing the incidence of low birth weight.
Abstract

Keywords:
AdulthoodAll-causes mortalityBirth weightCause-specific mortalityCompeting risks

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