The New Indian Journal of OBGYN. 10(2):314-319

Maternal profile of mothers giving birth to low birth weight babies: A hospital based cross-sectional study

Abhijit Dutta, Bhaskar Borah Sonowal, Luhit Dhungel

ABSTRACT

Background: Low birth weight (LBW) is a significant public health problem that affects millions of infants worldwide. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines LBW as a birth weight of less than 2500 grams. LBW is a global public health problem that affects approximately 15.5% of all births worldwide. LBW is a complex and multi-factorial condition that results from a combination of genetic, environmental, and maternal factors. Maternal factors play a critical role in determining the birth weight of infants. Objective: To determine the various maternal factors associated with low birth weight. Materials and methods: This study was a hospital based cross-sectional study conducted among 238 randomly selected term neonates of the postnatal ward of department of Pediatrics, Assam Medical College and Hospital for a period of 2 months. Data were collected with the help of interview technique using predesigned and pretested questionnaires. Data were statistically analysed using chi square test. Results: Among 238 mothers, 46.64% (n=111) had LBW babies. Higher proportions of LBW were found in mothers under 20 years (p=0.049) and weighing less than 45.0 kg (p=0.028). Maternal height (p=0.3009) showed no association. LBW was more prevalent with 1-year birth spacing (p=0.006), BMI ≤ 18 kg/m2 (p=0.049), anemia (p=0.036), and among upper lower class of modified Kuppuswammy scale (p=0.042). Conclusion: Early maternal age, low maternal weight and BMI, maternal anemia, shorter inter-pregnancy intervals and lower socioeconomic status were found to be significant contributors of LBW. These findings highlight the importance of addressing maternal health and socio-economic factors to reduce the incidence of low birth weight deliveries.