Effect of Low Birth Weight on the Risk of Pneumonia in Children Under Five: Meta-Analysis

Abstract

ackground: Pneumonia remains the foremost cause of death from infectious diseases in children under five. Previous studies reported the association between low birth weight and pneumonia in children under five. The purpose of this meta-analysis study was to assess the effect of low birth weight on the risk of pneumonia in children under five. Subjects and Method: This was meta-analysis and systematic review. The study collected published articles from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Springer Link databases. Keywords used “birth weight” AND “pneumonia children under 5” OR “pneumonia” AND “case control”. The inclusion criteria were full text, using English language, and using case control study design. The study subject was children under five. Intervention was low birthweight with comparison normal birthweight. The study outcome was pneumonia. The data were analyzed using RevMan 5.3 program. Results: 6 studies from Nepal, Ethiopia, India, Tanzania, Brazil, and Egypt. This study reported that children with history of low birthweight had the risk of pneumonia 1.96 times than those with normal birthweight (aOR = 1.96; 95% CI= 0.99 to 3.86; p= 0.050). Conclusion: Low birthweight increases the risk of pneumonia in children under five. Keywords: pneumonia, low birth weight, children under five Correspondence: Putu Anggi Widia Karmany. Masters Program in Public Health, Universitas Sebelas Maret. Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta 57126, Central Java. Email: putuanggiwidiakarmany@-gmail.com. Mobile: 087864306006