Condiciones del recién nacido en el Mezquital

Abstract

Upon examining the records of the Hospital "B" of the Department of Health, which gives service to the rural area of the Mezquital valley, inhabited largely by an Otomi speaking population, this study found that the average weight of newborn infants was 2946 gr in males and 2859 gr in females Based on the total number of births at the hospital, during 1975-1978, 8% were premature and 13% of the infants were born at full term but weighed less than 2500 gr. It is probable that the causes of low birth weight and premature births may be due to the poor socioeconomic conditions of the area and the lack of medical attention during pregnancy.