Birth weight among single and multiple births on the Åland Islands

Numerous papers have investigated the distribution of birth weight. This interest arises from the association
between birth weight and the future health condition of the child. Birth weight distribution commonly differs
slightly from theGaussian distribution. The distribution is typically split into two components: a predominant
Gaussian distribution and an unspecified ‘residual’ distribution. In this study, we consider birth weight data
from the A° land Islands (Finland) for the period 1885–1998. We compare birth weight between males and
females and among singletons and twins. Our study confirms that, on average, birth weight was highest
among singletons, medium among twins, and lowest among triplets. A marked difference in the mean birth
weight between singleton males and females was found. For singletons, the distribution of birth weight
differed significantly from the normal distribution, but for twins the normal distribution held.
normal distribution, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, singletons, twins, triplets