ABSTRACT
This final chapter of Part 1 draws together the evidence from the first two chapters that considered the impact of birthweight on child and adult health to make a case for the public health importance of birthweight. The negative impact on a range of child (see Chapter 1) and adult (see Chapter 2) health outcomes exerted by birthweight is not confined to the extreme lower end of the distribution but can be seen well into the ‘normal’ birthweight range. For this reason, the discussion of the public health impact of birthweight will go beyond a narrow focus on low birthweight ( < 2.5kg) or preterm birth ( < 3 7 weeks’ gestation) that has preoccupied many researchers in order to explore the whole of the birthweight distribution.
