Armed Conflict Lowers Birth Weights

International aid to conflict-prone parts of the globe should be rethought, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Denver, in light of a new study that links pregnant women's exposure to conflict to low birth weights among newborns.

The study, which is set to be published in the Journal of Development Economics, focused on the Second Intifada, a major uprising in the Israel-occupied Palestinian territories between 2000 and 2005. It is estimated that more than 4000 Palestinians lost their lives. Using a sample of 1224 live births in the West Bank, the researchers estimated conflict exposure by the number of Palestinians killed in the district where each mother lived.

The most significant effect occurred when a mother experienced a conflict-related death six to nine months prior to delivery. Children born in such conditions had significantly lower birth rates than controls. Among the variables controlled for were education, mother's age, gender, birth order, and others. Self-reported anemia was also controlled for, which is significant because studies like this are often unable to differentiate physiological factors from psychological ones. By controlling for anemia, the researchers were able to demonstrate more strongly that the low birth weights were not caused by malnutrition or other physical environmental factors.

The study highlights the importance of attending to the needs of pregnant mothers in conflict-ridden regions. Recent research has emphasized the negative consequences of environmental stress on pregnant women and the unborn, and the CU Denver team hopes that their research will give humanitarian policymakers an additional rationale for intervention in areas where civilians are exposed to conflict.

Source: The University of Colorado Denver