In the absence of appropriate interventions, low birth weight infants are at increased risk for illness, developmental delay and death. Identifying low birth weight children in resource-poor settings requires an inexpensive, accurate and portable scale that can be understood with minimal literacy or training.

Detailed description of the solution

The BIRTHweigh III is a portable handheld non-electronic scale that uses a plastic spring to gauge low birth weight status among newborns. Based on WHO cutoff weights and using color codes, the scale categorizes newborns into normal (>2500 g) birth weight, low (2000-2499 g) birth weight, and very low (<2000 g) birth weight. The three-way classification also has applications for correct dosing of antibiotics to newborns.

Designed by

• Designed by: Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), PO Box 900922 Seattle, WA 98109
• Manufacturing: PATH is working to identify manufacturers in the countries where the technology is most needed.

Implementation

A licensed version is currently for sale worldwide through Unicef under the name BeBeWay.

Funding Source

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provides public funding. Save the Children provides philanthropic funding.

References