The first 28 days of an infant’s life, the neonatal period, is a time of rapid development and change. It is an extremely vulnerable time, with the highest risks of developing post-birth complications, congenital conditions, and infant mortality. Research suggests that many of these deaths are preventable if the baby’s weight can be determined in the first week after birth – an enormous problem in regions where a significant number of births still take place at home, with no trained midwife or medical professional in attendance.

According to UNICEF, about 20 million low birthweight (LBW) babies (those with a birth weight under 2.5 kg) are born worldwide each year, most of them in developing countries. For LBW babies, the neonatal mortality rate is 20 times higher, and they are at increased lifelong risk of disease and poor health.

Despite persistent global efforts, vulnerable low birthweight (LBW) babies remain at risk of not receiving appropriate care due to gaps in timely and accurate birthweight measurement. In many parts of the world, vital measurements like weight are not consistently and accurately captured due to issues in the supply, maintenance, and performance of weighing equipment. Spring balances are commonly used, cultural taboos don’t allow outsiders to touch newborns, and erroneous manual entries and data tampering abound. Additionally, it is evident that many expectant mothers in developing countries still deliver at home without the assistance of skilled birth attendants or the facilities to assess the health status of the newborn.

The first 28 days of life, or the neonatal period, is the most vulnerable time for a child’s survival. Our Newborn Anthropometry tool facilitates anthropometry—the measurement of height, weight, chest circumference, head circumference, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)—during the first 42 days of life. It helps frontline health workers take anthropometric measurements using an Android smartphone.

Conventional methods for monitoring children’s growth face challenges like equipment maintenance, replacing broken or uncalibrated tools, and accurately transcribing data, which raises risks of data tampering. This tool is designed for frontline workers and can be used through a basic smartphone to capture precise measurements of newborns (0–42 days) with a short video. It generates accurate, real-time, and tamper-proof measurements for weight, height, head, mid-upper arm, and chest circumference, making growth monitoring more accessible and reliable in community settings.

The tool enables frontline workers to take videos with basic camera requirements of 30 FPS and a 5 MP camera, making it functional on old smartphones with limited capabilities. Additionally, videos can be uploaded in segments, facilitating access and usage in areas with patchy network coverage. The text-to-speech feature simplifies tasks like consent collection, making the process easier for workers with varying literacy levels and tech familiarity.