Determinants of Low Birth Weight in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Eastern India

Abstract

Introduction: In developing countries like India, low birth weight is a major public health issue. It is a leading cause of disease and mortality in infants. Low birth weight can be avoided by identifying at-risk pregnant women and taking the necessary precautions. Methods: From January to June 2019, a facility based retrospective case control study was conducted among pregnant women who gave birth at the hospitals. The information was gathered from the antenatal care files and the delivery room register and records. SPSS version 24.0 was used to process the data. To find an independent predictor of low birth weight, researchers used binary and multiple bivariate logistic regressions. Result: An aggregate of 450 neonatal birth records were reviewed in this study of which 150 were low birth weight babies and 300 were of normal birth weight. The mean ± SD and median [IQR] for birth weight of case group was [2.0±0.4kg, 2.2[1.8-2.4] kg] and that for control [3.1±0.4kg, 3.0[2.7-3.3] kg] respectively. Conclusion: Preterm delivery, mothers with hypothyroidism have an increased chance of having low birth weight babies whereas mothers with regular antenatal check-up and mothers with primary and secondary education have a lesser possibility of having low birth weight babies.