Low birth weight (LBW) is defined as a birth weight below 2500g regardless of gestational age. LBW includes both appropriately grown preterm infants (<37 completed weeks of gestation) and term and preterm growth-restricted infants (<10th centile of weight for gestational age and sex) (also called small for gestational age [SGA] infants). Global estimates of LBW range from 15-20%.

More than 80% of neonatal deaths are in LBW newborns, LBW infants are particularly vulnerable to impaired respiration, difficulty feeding, poor body temperature regulation, and infection. LBW infants also are at risk of developmental disabilities including cerebral palsy and have a higher risk of long-term developmental and physical ill health including adult-onset chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Departments of Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health and Aging (MCA) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH) have developed three specific guidelines for the care of preterm or LBW infants (Optimal feeding of low birth weight infants in low and middle income countries, 2011; WHO recommendations on interventions to improve preterm birth outcomes, 2015; Recommendations for management of common childhood conditions, 2012). New evidence has emerged since the development of those guidelines in many areas.

The primary objective of WHO’s recommendations is to provide a foundation for the strategic policy and programme development needed to ensure the sustainable implementation of effective interventions for improving provision and uptake of quality postnatal care for all women and newborns. Health professionals and policy-makers responsible for developing national and local protocols and health policies constitute the main target audience of these recommendations. Women and their families are an additional target audience as users of the postnatal care services.

The guidance provided is evidence-informed and covers topics that were selected and prioritized by an international, multidisciplinary group of maternal and newborn health professionals, social scientists, programme implementers and consumers during a scoping meeting held in December 2020.

The biographies of the group can be viewed here.

Several virtual Guideline Development Group (GDG) meetings will be held in November 2021 to review the updated evidence base on these recommendations.

In keeping with the requirements of the WHO Guidelines Review Committee and the WHO Compliance, Risk Management and Ethics Office, we are posting online short biographies of the GDG members. The listed candidates have also submitted a Declaration of Interest form stating any conflict of interests. WHO has applied its internal processes to ensure that the performance of the above tasks by members of this group will be transparent and without any significant conflict of interests (academic, financial, or other) that could affect the credibility of the guideline. Nevertheless, WHO invites the general public to review the experts and stakeholders involved and provide feedback regarding any member deemed to have a significant conflict of interest with respect to the terms of reference for this group. Comments and feedback should be cordial and constructive, and sent to mncah@who.int

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