Background: Low birth weight (LBW) is a well-known factor associated with neonatal mortality and has contributed to a range of poor health outcomes. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine factors associated with LBW infants. Methods: A matched case control study was conducted in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Data of deliveries were obtained from Total Hospital Information System and medical records. All registered deliveries from January to June 2012 were used as sample populations. There were 180 pairs of cases and controls matched on babies' gender. Fourteen variables were analyzed: maternal age, ethnicity, gravida, parity, gestational age, maternal booking weight, height and body mass index (BMI), history of low birth weight infants, birth interval, booking hemoglobin levels, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and mode of delivery. Results: Younger mother (t = 6.947, p < 0.001), lower booking BMI (t = 3.067, p = 0.002), prematurity (t = 12.324, p < 0.001), history of LBW infants (OR = 3.0, p = 0.001), LSCS (OR = 0.06, p = 0.001) and current hypertension (OR = 3.1, p = 0.008) were found significant in bivariate analysis. Multivariable conditional logistic regression identified younger maternal age (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.86-4.51, p < 0.001), previous history of LBW infants (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI = 1.03-13.58, p = 0.045), prematurity (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.79-3.26, p < 0.001), and current hypertension (AOR = 4.5, 95% CI = 1.06-19.22, p = 0.041) as significant factors associated with LBW infants. Conclusion: Younger maternal age, history of LBW infants, prematurity and hypertension have been recognized as predictors of LBW infants. The importance of pre-pregnancy screening, early antenatal booking and proper identification of high risk-mother needs to be strengthened and enforced in effort to reduce incidence of LBW infants.

Parenting skill is one of the crucial needs that parents must have in caring adolescents' sexual health risk behavior. Present study aims to determine predictors of parenting skills in preventing adolescents' sexual health risk behavior. A cross sectional study was conducted among adolescents' parents who attended government health clinics in a semi-urban district, West Malaysia. Data were collected by systematic random sampling using validated questionnaire from eight government health clinics based on routine daily out-patient services. There were 386 respondents participated with 98.9% of response rate. Parental skill is categorized as appropriate or inappropriate based on Trans-Theoretical Model (TTM) staging. Eighteen independent variables were used: parental socioeconomic status, adolescent characteristic, parenting style, parent-adolescent communication, parental stress, perception on adolescent sexual risk, comfortable in discussing sexual issues, knowledge in sexual reproductive health (SRH) and knowledge in HIV/AIDS. Assessment of parenting skills using the TTM stage showed 139 respondents (36%) had inappropriate parenting skills, in which they were in pre contemplation, contemplation or preparedness stages, while 247 respondents (64%) showed appropriate parenting skills when they were in action and maintenance stages of TTM. Older parent, late adolescent, low parental education level, extended family living arrangement, comfortable in discussing sexual issues, good parent-adolescent communication and higher knowledge in HIV/AIDS were found significant in bivariate analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified older parent (AOR = 1.927, 95% CI = 1.889 -1.966, p < 0.001), lower parental education (AOR = 2.394, 95% CI = 1.348 -4.254, p = 0.003), comfortable in discussing sexual issues (AOR = 3.810, 95% CI = 1.622 -8.948, p = 0.002), good parent-adolescent communication (AOR = 4.741, 95% CI = 2.478 -9.071, p ≤ 0.001) and having higher knowledge on HIV/AIDS (AOR = 2.804, 95% CI = 1.528 -5.147, p = 0.001) as significant predictors for appropriate parenting skills in preventing adolescent sexual health risk behavior. In conclusion, more than one third of parents were still not ready in preventing ado- Targeting the young parents and those having difficulty in communicating sexual issues with theirs adolescents should be emphasized in early intervention program for parents. Self-assessment using TTM stage questionnaire will help parents to identify their parenting skills in preventing adolescent sexual health risk behavior.