Link established between financial instability and low birth weight

According to a recent study, economic stability, or lack thereof, can have as detrimental an effect on a foetus as smoking or alcohol consumption.

The research, which was presented at the annual congress of the European Economic Association in Mannheim, used Iceland's economic collapse in 2008 as a platform from which to investigate the effect financial stress can have on the health of unborn children.

The assistant professor at the Department of Economics in Copenhagen's Business School, Arna Vardardottir, documented infants' progress and compared the weight of babies who had been in their first trimester during the economic crisis with those who had not.

The findings indicate that infants tended to be 120g lighter than the average if in their first trimester during the collapse .

In addition to this, Iceland's national birth register established that these infants were also 3.5% more likely to have a low birth weight as well as being more susceptible to neonatal diseases.

Commenting on her findings, Arna said: "My results show that a sudden deterioration in economic conditions has a negative impact on birth outcomes and that children in the early stages of gestation are more vulnerable to such shocks."

Highlighting the impact her research has on society's understanding of the link between health and economics, Arna said: "[It] will lead to a greater understanding of the long-term costs of financial catastrophes in advanced economies and highlight how babies born to the poorest families will be affected disproportionately."