ANALYZING NEWBORNS WITH LOW AND NORMAL BIRTH WEIGHT IN CHITUNGWIZA URBAN DISTRICT IN ZIMBABWE USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS

Economics

In this study, ANN models were applied in analyzing birth weights, that is, Low Birth Weight (LBW) and Normal Birth Weight (NBW) in Chitungwiza urban district. The employed data covers the period January 2012 to December 2019 and the out-of-sample period ranges over the period January 2020 to December 2021. The residuals and forecast evaluation criteria of the applied models indicate that the models are adequate in predicting LBW and NBW incidence in Chitungwiza urban district over the out-of-sample period. The results of the study basically indicate that NBWs are always more than LBWs and this has been forecasted to persist into the out-of-sample period. In order to reduce LBW and increase the numbers of NBW, there is need to implement the suggested 4-fold policy recommendations.

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