Winter Babies’ Health and Education ‘Left Out in the Cold’

A recent study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame has shown that children born in the colder months of December, January and February are, on an average, likely to be less educated, less intelligent, less healthy and lower paid than people born in other seasons.

Kasey Buckles and Daniel Hungerman said that individuals born in these months have some real disadvantages.

Buckles and Hungerman came to this conclusion after analyzing US census data and birth certificates to determine if the typical woman giving birth in winter is any different from the typical woman giving birth at other times of the year.

They discovered that babies born in the winter are more likely to have mothers who are unmarried, who are teenagers or who lack a high school diploma.

One explanation for the seasonal patterns in births is that summer's high temperatures inhibit sperm production.

This seems to affect lower socio-economic status women more adversely, which could explain why there are relatively fewer births to these women in the spring and early summer.

The researchers also point out that there could be a 'prom babies' effect, with winter births occurring nine months after end-of-year school celebrations.

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The researchers also note that survey data has shown that women consider winter the least desirable season in which to give birth.

They suggest that women who are wealthier and more educated are better able to time their births to more desirable seasons.

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Source-ANI
TAN/M