Abstract
BackgroundSurvival of newborns and long term complications are highly correlated with birth weight. The low birth weight rate is an indicator of a public health problem that includes long-term maternal malnutrition, ill health, and poor health care at population level during pregnancy. On an individual basis, low birth weight is an important predictor of newborn health and survival. We aimed to assess the magnitude of low birth weight and its associated factors among women who delivered in Debre Tabor Hospital (DTH), Amhara, Ethiopia.MethodsFacility based cross sectional study was employed on 282 mothers who delivered in DTH from December 2018 to March 2019. Single population proportion formula was used to calculate sample size. Data entry was completed in a template prepared in EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe the characteristics of the study participants. Crude and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval were used to identify the significance of association. A p value of < 0.05 was used to decide the significance of the association.ResultOf a total 282 interviewed mothers who delivered in DTH 12.0% (95%, CI: (8.5, 15.2%)) delivered low birth weight baby. Place of residence (AOR = 0.32, 95%, CI: (0.12, 0.85)), gravidity (AOR = 0.17, 95%, CI: (0.03, 0.97)), status of pregnancy (AOR = 0.29, 95%, CI: (0.09, 0.92)), and hemoglobin levels (AOR = 9.82, 95%, CI: (1.83, 52.73)) were found to be the significant predictors of low birth weight in this study.Conclusion and recommendationPlace of residence, status of pregnancy, gravidity, and level of hemoglobin were found to be statistically significant with low birth weight. Women who lived in urban areas, who had planned pregnancy, and gravida of < 5 had lower risk of giving low birth weight baby. Whereas, women who had hemoglobin level of < 11 mg/dl were more likely to deliver low birth weight baby. Being a multi-factorial problem, integrated and holistic approach shall be followed to reduce the prevalence, morbidity and mortality related to low birth weight.
Highlights
Survival of newborns and long term complications are highly correlated with birth weight
The low birth weight (LBW) rate is an indicator of a public health problem that includes long-term maternal malnutrition, ill health and poor health care at population level during pregnancy
This study aimed to assess the magnitude and maternal risk factors of LBW among women who delivered in Debre Tabor Hospital (DTH) of Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia
Summary
Survival of newborns and long term complications are highly correlated with birth weight. The low birth weight rate is an indicator of a public health problem that includes long-term maternal malnutrition, ill health, and poor health care at population level during pregnancy. Low birth weight is an important predictor of newborn health and survival. The low birth weight (LBW) rate is an indicator of a public health problem that includes long-term maternal malnutrition, ill health and poor health care at population level during pregnancy. LBW is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as weight at birth of less than 2,500 g (5.5 pounds) irrespective of the gestational age. LBW related to preterm birth is the problem of developed countries and usually related to congenital anomaly [3]
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