Prevalence and Determinants of Low Birth Weight Among Infants Born in Kapsabet Referral Hospital, Nandi County, Kenya

Abstract

Low Birth Weight (LBW) is defined by the World Health Organization as weight at birth less than 2,500g. LBW continues to be a significant public health problem globally and is associated with a range of both short and long term consequences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and determine probable factors associated with LBW at the Kapsabet Referral Hospital in Nandi County, Kenya. This study adopted a hospital based cross-sectional study design. A total of one hundred and seventy-eight (178) mothers were selected using the simple random sampling method. A researcher administered semi-structured questionnaire was the main tool for data collection. Data was analyzed using the Epi Info version 3.3.2. A probability value of <0.05 was considered significant. Prevalence of LBW was found to be 16.6%. About two thirds (59.5%) of the mothers were between 20-29 years. The mean birth weight of the infants was 2728±351 grams. Fifty two percent (52.1%) were female infants while forty seven percent (47.9%) were male. The following factors were significantly associated with LBW: sex of infant (OR=2.34, 95% C.I.=2.45-13.50), age of the mother at child birth (OR=3.41, 95% C.I. =1.53-13.43), education level of the mother (OR=2.95, 95% C.I. = 1.43-12.45), LBW delivery in a previous birth (OR=2.75, 95% C.I. =2.45-12.23), premature births (OR=1.78, 95% C.I. =1.89-13.67) and the nutrition status of the mother at child birth (OR= 3.37, 95% C.I. = 2.56-12.97). Independent predictors of LBW were gestational age, mode of delivery, pregnancy complications and iron & folic acid supplementation during pregnancy. Prevalence of LBW in this hospital was higher than the national prevalence and therefore urgent mitigation measures are necessary to tackle this problem. Keywords: Low birth weight, prevalence, determinants, infant