Objective     To investigate the status of low-birth-weight infants (LBWIs) in Chongqing

China in previous five years

and to provide theoretical basis for preventive measures.      Methods     A retrospective study was conducted on 2

709 LBWIs hospitalized in Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from Jan. 2005 to Sep. 2009. Statistical analysis was conducted using software SPSS 16.0.      Results     The proportion of LBWIs in hospitalized newborns remained above 11% in the five years. The average mortality of newborns had significant statistical differences among different birth weight (BW) groups (chi square=50.070

P0.05). The mortality of newborns with BW of 1 500-2 500 g was 1.69 times that of those with normal BW

and the mortality of newborns with BW less than 1-500 g was 8.79 times that of those with normal BW. The mean BW of male newborns was higher than that of female newborns (t=2.247

P=0.025). A majority of LBWIs were preterm infants

with an average proportion of 87.4%. The mean BW of firstborns was higher than that of others (F=15.146

P0.05). Among the LBWIs’ mothers

45.6% had suffered from infectious diseases during pregnancy. Close to half of the LBWIs’ mothers were aged beyond 20-29 years during pregnancy

and 40.7% were out of work.      Conclusion     In Chongqing

preventing preterm birth

controlling multifetation

and reducing parity play essential roles in preventing low birth weight of infants. Intensive care for LBWI

especially for very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs)

can increase the survival rate and finally reduce the mortality of newborns.