Abstract
Low birth weight is a global public health problem for mortality and morbidity in any age group. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of maternal anthropometric measurements on birth weight. A cross-sectional study was conducted from Nov 25, 2012, to Feb 25, 2013, in maternity public hospitals in Addis Ababa city, Ethiopia. The effect is investigated using correlation, linear regression, independent sample T-test, one-way ANOVA, and finally multivariate linear regression analysis. A total of 605 women and their newborns took part in this study and prevalence of low birth weight is 8.3%. On adjusted multivariate linear regression analysis, maternal anthropometric measurements did not have an effect on birth weight. Since maternal mid-upper arm circumference ≤ 20 cm and body mass index ≤18.5kg/m2 are almost nil in this study, generalization is difficult to general population where undernourished women are common in the rural Ethiopia and similar study is recommended in those areas. Antenatal care visits, gestational age, and female sex of newborn had statistically significant effect in determining the risk of low birth weight. Women who were living with large family members had a heavier newborn than counterparts. This might be due to the fact that pregnant women have better care and social support in Ethiopian context, so advising pregnant women to live with family members should be considered to enhance social support during pregnancy in Ethiopia. Maternal anthropometric measurements have no significant effect in determining birth weight in the city and we recommend similar studies where undernourished women are common.
Highlights
Low birth weight (LBW) is a weight at birth less than 2,500 grams irrespective of gestational age
In the first binary linear regression and correlation model maternal variable parameters, gravidity, gestational age, number of antenatal care (ANC), household family size, and maternal age were significantly associated with birth weight (Table 2)
Maternal anthropometric characteristics had no significant effect to determine the risk of low birth weight
Summary
Low birth weight (LBW) is a weight at birth less than 2,500 grams irrespective of gestational age. A baby’s low weight at birth is either the result of preterm birth (i.e., before 37 weeks of gestation) or the result of restricted fetal (intrauterine) growth [1]. This condition is a worldwide problem, especially where starchy tubers and cereals form the staple food. More than 20 million (15%) infants are born with LBW and it is concentrated in two regions of the developing world: Asia and Africa. Seventy-two percent of LBW infants in developing countries are born in Asia and 22% in Africa, of which 13% to 15% found in Sub-Saharan Africa with little variation across the region as a whole [1]. A similar study from Sri Lanka showed that 8.7% of 563 births had LBW [6]
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