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Nordic Yearbook of Population Research

Seasonality of Birth Weight in Singleton Full-term Births in Finland

Authors

Hilde Orderud
Invest Research Flagship Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
Niko Eskelinen
Invest Research Flagship Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland and Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
Matti Lindberg
Invest Research Flagship Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

DOI

https://doi.org/10.23979/fypr.136379

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Abstract

Seasonal birth weight has been identified across different climate zones. Finland has wide seasonal and regional variation in climate within the country. We explore the potential seasonality of birth weight in singleton full-term births in Finland, and its variations across time and within the country. We apply descriptive time-series graphs, linear regression across regions, and linear regression with mother fixed effects using Finnish register data consisting of more than 1,800,000 infants born from 1987 to 2021. The descriptive findings indicate a decline in birth weight from 1987 to 2021. A monthly seasonal trend with peaks in spring and autumn and troughs in summer and winter is observed. The pattern gets less distinct with time and shows within-country variations. The seasonal pattern is also present when applying mother fixed effects. We suggest that the seasonal variation is more related to variations in climate than stable characteristics at the family level.

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References

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Details

DOI
Published
May 10, 2024
Issue
Section
Articles
Keywords birth weight, seasonality, climate, Finland
How to Cite
Orderud, H., Eskelinen, N., & Lindberg, M. (2024). Seasonality of Birth Weight in Singleton Full-term Births in Finland. Nordic Yearbook of Population Research, 57, 21-46. https://doi.org/10.23979/fypr.136379
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Copyright (c) 2024 Hilde Orderud, Niko Eskelinen, Matti Lindberg

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