Birthweight distribution in rural north-west Burkina Faso

Two thousand and twenty-six delivery records from 1987 to 1989 in 5 rural health units in North Western Burkina Faso were analysed. The mean birthweight was 2899 g, with an overall incidence of low birthweight of 9.3%. Increasing birth order from 1 to 3 was associated with increasing birthweight; for birth orders > 3, birthweight was relatively constant. There is a marked seasonal variation in birthweight, with a decrease in the rainy season and an increase during the dry season. These findings are compared with other African populations. The anthropometric measurements of these newborns were slightly lower than standards from industrialized North America.