Influence of Maternal Height and Weight on Low Birth Weight: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poor Communities of Northeastern Brazil

Britto, Revilane Parente de Alencar; Florêncio, Telma Maria de Menezes Toledo; Silva, Ana Amelia Benedito; Sesso, Ricardo; Cavalcante, Jairo Calado; Sawaya, Ana Lydia

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080159

Cited by 36 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Meanwhile, several studies across the world have shown that, education affects neonatal birth weight [ 6 , 19 , 21 ], though it has been established in literature that the causes of LBW in neonates differ between developing and developed societies [ 15 , 22 – 25 ]. It is also reported in de AlencarBritto et al that age, BMI and family income were significantly associated with LBW in neonates [ 26 ]. However in this study, they were not.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 60%

A cross-sectional study of determinants of birth weight of neonates in the Greater Accra region of Ghana

Atuahene

Mensah²,

Adjuik

2015

matern health, neonatol and perinatol

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BackgroundBirth weight is a major determinant of infant morbidity and mortality. Fetal undernourishment means an increased risk of dying during a baby’s early months and years. Birth weight has emerged as the leading indicator of infant health and welfare and the central focus of infant health policy. The issues have not been comprehensively evaluated in part due to lack of or limited empirical data. To this end, this study is aimed to evaluate the effects of maternal determinants on the birth weights of neonates in two major hospitals.ResultsLow birth weight neonates were significantly (p < 0.001) associated with low gestation at birth (34.8 ± 3.8) while mothers of low birth weight neonates had significantly (p = 0.034) lower body mass index (27.3 ± 5.4) than their normal birth weight counterparts (29.0 ± 6.3). Gestation at birth (p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.008) was the only significant determinant of birth weight.ConclusionAn increase in gestation at birth by 1 week results in over twice more likelihood of a normal birth weight while a rise in diastolic blood pressure is less likely to give rise to a normal birth weight neonate.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 60%

A cross-sectional study of determinants of birth weight of neonates in the Greater Accra region of Ghana

Atuahene

Mensah²,

Adjuik

2015

matern health, neonatol and perinatol

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“…A recent Brazilian study that analyzed 2,226 mother-child binomials found that maternal height in the lower quartile (≤152 cm) was related to an increased risk (42%) for having children with low birth weight when compared to mothers in the upper quartile for height (>160.4 cm) [ 56 ]. However, the systematic review of Han et al concludes that only studies with unadjusted data express associations between women of short stature and increased risk of premature birth or offspring with low birth weight [ 57 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Intergenerational Effects on Birth Weight and Its Relations to Maternal Conditions, São Paulo, Brazil

Silva

Gomes

Valente

et al. 2015

BioMed Research International

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Background and Objectives. Parents' birth weight acts as a predictor for the descendant birth weight, with the correlation more strongly transmitted through maternal line. The present research aims to study the correlation between the child's low or increased birth weight, the mother's birth weight, and maternal conditions. Methods. 773 mother-infant binomials were identified with information on both the baby's and the mother's birth weight recorded. Group studies were constituted, dividing the sample according to birth weight (<2,500 grams (g) and ≥3,500 grams (g)). The length at birth was also studied in children ≤47.5 cm (lower quartile). Chi2 test or Fisher's exact test, Spearman's Rho, and odds ratio were performed in order to investigate the relation between the children's weight and length at birth and the mothers' and children's variables. Results. The girls were heavier at birth than their mothers, with an average increase at birth weight between the generations of 79 g. The child's birth weight <2,500 g did not show any correlation with maternal birth weight <2,500 g (Fisher 0.264; Spearman's Rho 0.048; OR 2.1 and OR lower 0.7) or with maternal stature below the lower quartile (<157 cm) (Chi 2 sig 0.323; with Spearman's Rho 0.036; OR 1.5 and OR lower 0.7). The child's low birth weight (<2,500 g) was lightly correlated with drug use by the mother during pregnancy (Fisher 0.083; Spearman's Rho 0.080; OR 4.9 and OR lower 1.0). The child's birth weight <2,500 g showed increased correlation with gestational age lower than 38 weeks and 3 days (Chi 2 sig 0.002; Spearman's Rho 0.113; OR 3.2 and OR lower 1.5). The child's weight at birth ≥3,500 g showed strong correlation with maternal weight at birth ≥3,500 g (Chi 2 sig 0; Spearman's Rho +0.142; OR 0.5 and OR upper 0.7). It was also revealed that the higher the maternal prepregnancy BMI, the stronger the correlation with child's birth weight ≥3,500 g ((maternal prepregnancy BMI > 25.0 with Chi 2 sig 0.013; Spearman's Rho 0.09; OR 1.54 and OR upper 2.17) and (maternal prepregnancy BMI > 30.0 with Chi 2 sig 0 Spearman's Rho 0.137; OR 2.58 and OR upper 4.26)). The child's length at birth in the lower quartile (≤47.5 cm) showed strong correlation with drug use by the mother during pregnancy (Chi 2 sig 0.004; Spearman's Rho 0.105; OR 4.3 and OR lower 1.5). Conclusions. The mother's increased weight at birth and the prenatal overweight or obesity were correlated with increased weight and length at birth of the newborn, coupled with the tendency of increasing birth weight between generations of mothers and daughters. Also, descendants with smaller length at birth are the children of women with the lowest statures.

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“…Indeed, neonatal head size and maternal pelvis shape have been found to covary (36), presumably via pleiotropic genetic effects. Furthermore, size and weight of the newborn are correlated with maternal stature and pregnancy weight (39,49,50). This correlation is partly driven by the genes shared between the mother and the fetus (51), but the fetus also develops under the influence of the maternal environment.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Cliff-edge model of obstetric selection in humans

Mitterœcker

Huttegger

Fischer

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The strikingly high incidence of obstructed labor due to the disproportion of fetal size and the mother's pelvic dimensions has puzzled evolutionary scientists for decades. Here we propose that these high rates are a direct consequence of the distinct characteristics of human obstetric selection. Neonatal size relative to the birth-relevant maternal dimensions is highly variable and positively associated with reproductive success until it reaches a critical value, beyond which natural delivery becomes impossible. As a consequence, the symmetric phenotype distribution cannot match the highly asymmetric, cliff-edged fitness distribution well: The optimal phenotype distribution that maximizes population mean fitness entails a fraction of individuals falling beyond the "fitness edge" (i.e., those with fetopelvic disproportion). Using a simple mathematical model, we show that weak directional selection for a large neonate, a narrow pelvic canal, or both is sufficient to account for the considerable incidence of fetopelvic disproportion. Based on this model, we predict that the regular use of Caesarean sections throughout the last decades has led to an evolutionary increase of fetopelvic disproportion rates by 10 to 20%.

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Influence of Maternal Height and Weight on Low Birth Weight: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poor Communities of Northeastern Brazil

Cited by 36 publications

References 30 publications

A cross-sectional study of determinants of birth weight of neonates in the Greater Accra region of Ghana

A cross-sectional study of determinants of birth weight of neonates in the Greater Accra region of Ghana

The Intergenerational Effects on Birth Weight and Its Relations to Maternal Conditions, São Paulo, Brazil

Cliff-edge model of obstetric selection in humans

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