Low Aboriginal Birth-weight-Prematurity or Intrauterine Growth Restriction?

EDITORIAL COMMENT: We accepted this paper for publication because it explores the important question of whether low birth-weight in infants of Aboriginal mothers is due to prematurity or fetal growth-retardation. This paper reviews the previous literature, provides some interesting new information, and shows that a prospective study with verification of fetal maturity is required to resolve the problem. Readers will realize the difficulties that exist in compilation of prospective data with sufficient numbers of cases to answer this question.
Summary: Two thousand, nine hundred and twenty-eight consecutive singleton public births at Cairns Base Hospital were studied retrospectively. Contrary to popular clinical belief, there was no statistically significant difference in the birth-weights, corrected for gestational age between Aboriginal babies and Caucasian babies. There was a highly significant excess of preterm Aboriginal births, when compared with Caucasian births. This study suggests that any attempt to reduce the high incidence of low birth-weight births in Aboriginal people should be directed at reducing the incidence of preterm birth, rather than the supposed high incidence of intrauterine growth restriction.