Britain sees rise in underweight babies
Underweight babies are more likely to suffer health problems in later life
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Tuesday, 27, Mar 2007 01:33
The number of babies born underweight in Britain has increased since 1989, a report has warned.
Britain now has one of the worst records in Europe for babies born at dangerously low weights.
The report, commissioned by influential thinktank the Fabian Society, said more women were now putting off having a baby until later in life.
Older mothers or teenagers who fall pregnant are more likely to have an underweight baby than someone who gives birth in their 20s or early 30s.
While the government is already seeking to tackle the UK's high rate of teenage pregnancy, the Fabian Society wants ministers to do more to help women have children earlier.
One of the most common reasons for putting off having a baby is work, with professions that require long periods of training – such as medicine or the law – proving particularly disruptive.
"If Britain had the same record on low birth-weight as the best countries in Europe, 24,000 babies would have much-improved life chances," said the report's author, Louise Bamfield.
"The facts should shock us all."
As well as women postponing starting a family until later in life, underweight babies now have a greater chance of survival, thanks to medical advances.
But while more babies may live, being born underweight can have long-term consequences.
Ms Bamfield added: "Being born very small creates health risks throughout life - and will affect the health of babies they will themselves have years later."
The Fabian Society has urged employers to do more to encourage women to have babies at a younger age and called on the government to ramp up its efforts to combat teenage pregnancies.