Socio-economic and nutritional determinants of low birth weight in India

Abstract

Background:Low birth weight (LBW) is an important risk factor for childhood morbidity and mortality, consequently an important public health concern.Aim:This study aims to identify significant socio-economic and nutritional determinants associated with LBW in India.Materials and Methods:Data from 2005 to 2006 National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3) of India was analyzed. A total of 20,946 women (15-49 years) who gave birth at least once 5 years preceding the NFHS-3 were included in this study. Infant's LBW (<2500 grams) as outcome variable was examined in association with all independent predictors as infant's sex, maternal household wealth status, caste, age, education, body mass index (BMI), stature, anemia level, parity, inter-pregnancy interval, antenatal care received, and living place.Results:Almost 20% of the infants were born with LBW. Mother's low education level, BMI <18.5, short stature (height <145 centimeters) and lack of antenatal visits (<4 visits) were significant predictors of LBW. Male gender has a protective effect against LBW.Conclusion:Maternal education, nutritional status and antenatal care received are key determinants that need to be addressed to reduce prevalence of LBW in India. Continue implementation of multifaceted health promotion interventions are needed to address these factors effectively.

Predictors of low birth weight babies born in tribal tertiary health care setting: a cross sectional study

“…14,22 This study also found higher percentage of LBW babies among mothers who did not have adequate ANC checkups. Similar findings were also observed by Kader et al 14,16 This study found that short inter pregnancy interval was not significantly associated with LBW of the baby. However; Borah et al and Metgud et al reported significant association with short inters pregnancy and LBW.…”

“…Similarly, Borah et al and Kader et al also reported that the percentage of LBW babies among illiterate mothers was high. 14,16 Our study found a statistically non significant association between birth weight of babies and the religion. However, Borah et al and, Kaushal et al found higher percentage of LBW babies among Muslim mothers.…”

Association of Body Mass Index in Early Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcome among Mothers Attending a Maternity (Christian) Hospital in Berhampur, Odisha: A Hospital Based Prospective Study

“…Underweight mothers tended to have more LBW babies. In a study by Kader et al similar findings were obtained where it was seen BMI < than 18.5 was a predictor of LBW babies (8) . Han et al in a systematic review and meta-analyses observed that that singletons born to underweight women have higher risks of preterm birth (overall, spontaneous and induced) and LBW than those born to women with normal weight (9) BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fat for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to problems (7) .…”

Maternal Body Mass Index Is Strongly Associated with Children Z-Scores for Height and BMI

“…India has the highest occurrence of child undernutrition in the world and it has been estimated that more than half of the Indian children remain undernourished [3]. It has also been reported that the country has more than 47 million stunted children and that nearly 20% of children are born with low birth weight [9,10]. Therefore, nutritional assessments of children are a priority area in the country and have potential roles to play in formulating developmental strategies and intervention programmes in the same.…”