INTERACTIVE: Malaysia’s growing small baby problem
By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: The percentage of babies born underweight is going up in Malaysia, with experts describing the trend as worrying. Figures from the Statistics Department show that 12.9% (54,618) of the country’s live births in 2022 were classified as low birth weight (LBW). In 2010 the percentage of LBW newborns stood at 11.2% (54,964) of live births. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines LBW babies as those born with a weight of less than 2,500 grams. According to the WHO, the proportion of infants with a low birth weight is an indicator of a multifaceted public health problem that includes long-term maternal malnutrition, ill-health and poor health care in pregnancy. “Despite Malaysia's status as an upper-middle-income economy, the prevalence of low birth weight indicates that food security remains a substantial challenge for a significant segment of the population especially for pregnant mothers,” said consultant paedi...
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