Outside the usual rangeOctober 2020Maternal and child
Kerala: low-birth-weight share in October 2020 was 15.4%, above the 3-year median of 10.9% for the same month (+4.5 points).
What happened
- October 2020
- 15.4%
- 3-year median
- 10.9%
- Change
- +4.5%
- Change, percentage points
- +4.5 pts
Why it matters
The value is judged against the median of the same period in up to five earlier years, using a robust measure of spread. A breach means this period sits well outside what those years would lead you to expect.
For low-birth-weight share, lower is better. This movement is therefore assessed as a deterioration.
Historical context
Same-period values: 2019 11.3%, 2018 10.9%, 2017 10.7%. This comparison involves the COVID-19 disruption period (March 2020 – June 2021), when service use and reporting fell sharply.
The underlying data
| Period | Value | Release | Where in the document |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2020 | 15.4% | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, October 2020 (FY 2020-21, provisional) | 2020-2021(Data is Provisional)/A.MonthWise/G-Oct.xlsx: ('4.4.2' Number of newborns having weight less than 2.5 kg) / ('4.4.1' Number of newborns weighed at birth) × 100; column "Kerala", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
| October 2019 | 11.3% | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, October 2019 (FY 2019-20, provisional) | 2019-2020.zip › 2019-2020/A.MonthWise/G - October.xls: ('4.4.2' Number of newborns having weight less than 2.5 kg) / ('4.4.1' Number of newborns weighed at birth) × 100; column "Kerala", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
| October 2018 | 10.9% | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, October 2018 (FY 2018-19, provisional) | 2018-2019.zip › 2018-2019/A.MonthWise/G - October.xls: ('4.4.2' Number of newborns having weight less than 2.5 kg) / ('4.4.1' Number of newborns weighed at birth) × 100; column "Kerala", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
| October 2017 | 10.7% | HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, October 2017 (FY 2017-18, provisional) | 2017-2018.zip › 2017-2018/A.MonthWise/G - October.xls: ('4.4.2' Number of newborns having weight less than 2.5 kg) / ('4.4.1' Number of newborns weighed at birth) × 100; column "Kerala", Total [(A+B) or (C+D)] |
Source and method
More signals for low-birth-weight share in Kerala
- Kerala: low-birth-weight share in March 2021 was 13.9%, above the 3-year median of 11.3% for the same month (+2.7 points).
- Kerala: low-birth-weight share of 15.4% in October 2020 is the highest in the series, which begins April 2017.
- Kerala: low-birth-weight share of 10.4% in June 2020 is the lowest since May 2019.
- Kerala: low-birth-weight share of 12.8% in July 2019 is the highest in the series, which begins April 2017.
- Kerala: low-birth-weight share of 9.8% in May 2019 is the lowest in the series, which begins April 2017.
- Kerala: low-birth-weight share of 10.0% in April 2018 is the lowest in the series, which begins April 2017.
Cite this
According to the India Health Observatory, Kerala: low-birth-weight share in October 2020 was 15.4%, above the 3-year median of 10.9% for the same month (+4.5 points). Source: Health Management Information System, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, HMIS item-wise monthly report, All India across states, October 2020 (FY 2020-21, provisional). https://indiahealthobservatory.com/signals/low-birth-weight-share--kerala--2020-10--baseline_breach
See also Kerala and 15.4% in context.