Epidemiological profile of low birth weight, department of Córdoba, Colombia, 2020-2021

Abstract

Low birth weight (<2500 g) is one of the most important indicators to monitor progress in maternal, perinatal and child health. Materials and methods: Descriptive, analytical- correlational study with a quantitative approach. 1410 cases of newborns with low birth weight, reported in the Public Health Epidemiological Surveillance System (SIVIGILA) of the Department of Health Development, in the department of Córdoba, Colombia, were analyzed. For the analysis, the R statistical package and frequency tables were used. Results: 35% of the mothers were between the ages of 17-21 and 55% of them reside in municipal capitals. 92% had various trades as their occupation, 82% belong to stratum 1, 2% integrate the migrant population and 66% have a secondary educational level. On the other hand, 47% of the children reached 37 weeks of gestation and 94% of them were classified as low birth weight. Discussion: These results agree with those of other authors who determined that socioeconomic factors influence low birth weight. Conclusions: The sociodemographic characteristics of the mother are determining factors for low birth weight.