Risk factors for low birthweight based on birth registration and census information, England and Wales, 1981-2000.

This study examines whether there are socio-demographic factors (collected at census) that are not routinely available at birth registration that help to explain low birthweight in England and Wales in the 1980s and 1990s. Maternal age and marital status at the time of birth are known to affect the risk of low birthweight. The article looks at whether the additional socio-demographic information about the mother that is collected at Census modifies our understanding. It identifies specific groups at high risk of this negative birth outcome--being a mother from a non-White ethnic group, having a long-standing illness and living in a deprived area.