Poverty impacts babies before they are even born, new study finds

Poverty is already affecting the growth of unborn babies from as early as midway through pregnancy, a report has found (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Unborn babies with poorer mothers are smaller than their richer counterparts as early as midway through pregnancy, a study has found, opening them up to a lifetime of ill health.

It is the first time size differences have been found at such an early stage of development, and the researchers at the University of Aberdeen are also the first to compare across continents.