Neonatal and maternal anthropometric characteristics in a high altitude population of the western Himalaya

A study of neonatal anthropometric characteristics was undertaken in Ladakh, India, a region comprising the western portion of the trans‐Himalayan plateau. The object was to better understand the dynamics of high altitude adaptation in the Himalaya. In a largely native sample of 168 women and their newborns, mean birth weight was 2,764 g, mean length was 48.02 cm, and mean Ponderal Index (PI) was 2.49. Female newborns were significantly lighter and shorter than males. Overall, 27% of newborns fell into the standard category of infants at increased risk of mortality ( < 2,500 g); 37% of females and 17% of males were so classified. In multivariate regression analysis, maternal weight and the sex and gestational age of the newborn were the only significant predictors of birth weight, but explained a small (18%) part of the variance. Compared to Andean and Tibetan samples, Ladakhi newborns were between 300 and 550 g lighter. This variation is explained, in part, by maternal characteristics, such as lower average parity, age, and weight. Reproductive capacity appears to be compromised in this population because of inadequate nutrition in the face of high energy demands of agricultural work, which may further compromise maternal adaptation to hypoxic conditions. The population of Ladakh has a relatively recent ancestry in this high altitude region and is likely a genetically heterogeneous population from an extensive history of immigration. Thus it is possible that the low average birth weight in Ladakh may also be influenced by inadequate genetic adaptation to hypoxia. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.