Risk Factors Influencing the Incidence of Low Birth Weight Infants at Wangaya Regional General Hospital, Denpasar City, Bali

Abstract

Background. One of the main indicators of a child’s health status is the infant mortality rate. Indonesia ranks among the top 10 nations with the highest mortality rate for children under the age of 5. Every year, 72% of toddlers and infants died, and low birth weight (LBW) stands out as a significant contributing factor. The mortality rate for LBW infant is 20-35 times greater than that of infants with normal birth weight. Methods. This research uses a cross-sectional analytic observational study which was done in January 2023 at Wangaya Regional Hospital in Bali, Indonesia. Research subject were all of the newborns at Wangaya Hospital. Inclusion criteria including subject must be hospitalized in NICU, PICU, or Mother-Infant unit between September and December 2022. Sampling method used was total sampling. Bivariate analysis was done using chi squared test, and multivariate analysis was done using logistic regression test. Result. Amongst 317 samples taken, the proportion of LBW infants is 13.2%. Risk factors which lead to LBW including presence of antenatal care visit (p= 0.021), number of parities (p= 0.012), and maternal anemia (p= 0.026). It was also identified that mothers who did not undergo any antenatal care are at a higher risk of giving birth to a LBW infant (p= 0.024, OR 5.128 (95% CI 1.242 - 21.169). Conclusion. The risk of LBW can be reduced by pregnant mother doing regular antenatal care visits, taking blood supplement and foods that can increase hemoglobin level and limiting the number of pregnancies. Keywords: Low Birth Weight, Risk Factors, Antenatal Care, Anemia, Number of parities