National and subnational trends of birthweight in Peru: Pooled analysis of 2,927,761 births between 2012 and 2019 from the national birth registry

Background National and subnational characterization of birthweight profiles lacks in low- and middle-income countries, yet these are needed for monitoring the progress of national and global nutritional targets. We aimed to describe birthweight indicators at the national and subnational levels in Peru (2012-2019), and by selected correlates.Methods We studied mean birthweight (g), low birthweight (Findings Mean birthweight was always the lowest in the Highlands (2,954 g in 2019) yet the highest in the Coast (3,516 g in 2019). The same was observed for low birthweight and small for gestational age. In regions with Coast and Highlands, the birthweight indicators worsen from the Coast to the Highlands; the largest absolute difference in mean birthweight between Coast and Highlands in the same region was 367 g. All birthweight indicators were the worst in mothers with none/initial education, while they improved with higher HDI.Interpretation This analysis suggests that interventions are needed at the province level, given the large differences observed between Coast and Highlands even in the same region.Funding Wellcome Trust (214185/Z/18/Z).