Study of neonatal outcome in relation to maternal nutrition and anthropometry

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The survival and wellbeing of mothers and children are important to self as a right and also central to solving much broader economic, social and developmental challenges. Improving the survival and wellbeing of mothers and children will not only increase the health of societies but also decrease inequity and poverty. 1 The essential source of concern lies in the implications of birth weight, and particularly of low birth weight (LBW) i.e. birth weight less than 2500 g. 2 Birth weight is an important parameter, which could be indicative of the immediate viability of the neonate and the state of maternal health and nutrition during pregnancy. 3 The survival of infants and their postnatal growth and development largely depend on birth weight. 2,4-6 WHO in 1995 estimated that 142 million babies were born in the world in 1990; out of them 25 million were of low birth weight and 19 million of these LBW babies were born in the developing countries. 7 The present proportion of LBW babies in India is estimated to be 30 percent as compared to 4-5 percent found in economically developed countries. 8,9 In India, over half of perinatal and two-thirds of all infant deaths are due to low birth weight. 10 LBW is a consequence of either preterm (<37 weeks of gestation) delivery or intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) or of both. 2 In addition to short-term consequences, such as ABSTRACT Background: Neonatal mortality contributes to over 64% of the infants deaths and most of these deaths occur during first week of life. Of the various causes of infant mortality, birth weight is one of the important factors for the survival, normal growth and development of child. Methods: This one year hospital based case control study was undertaken to find out the proportion of low birth weight babies in institutional deliveries and to find out the association between various socio-demographic and maternal factors with low birth weight deliveries in study population. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 15.0. One way Anova and Chi square test was used. Results: Out of total 100 live new-borns, 46 were low birth weight babies. Significant associations were found between maternal height< 150 cm, maternal weight gain and maternal pre partum body weight with low birth weight babies. Significant correlation was also seen between the age <20 yrs and >30 yrs of age, parity and socioeconomic status with low birth weight. Conclusions: This study provides baseline information from the tertiary care hospital in this region. Strengthening of the maternal health program focusing on maternal nutrition and iron and folic acid supplementation during antenatal period and nutrition education to facilitate better weight gain during adolescent period is required.