Low Birth Weight at Term: Risk Factors and Perinatal Prognosis in the Teaching Hospital Yalgado Ouédraogo, Burkina Faso

Abstract

Objective: The objective of our study was to study the risk factors of low birth weight at term in the Teaching Hospital Yalgado (CHU-YO) Ouédraogo. Patients and Methods: This dealt with a comparative and analytical control case study. The group of cases was made up of female patients who gave birth to newborns with low birth weight at term and that of control cases included female patients who delivered a normal-weighted newborn at term. Results: The frequency of low birth weight at term was therefore estimated at 4.4%. The average age of the parturients was 25 ± 6.36 years. Female patients living in a marital setting accounted for 93.1% of cases and 64.4% of them had no income-generating activities. A maternal underweight, a height below 155 cm, passive smoking, and malaria during pregnancy have been identified as the factors associated with a low birth weight. Conclusion: Quality prenatal care could reduce the incidence of low birth weight at term.