Factors Affecting Birth Weight of Newborns Among Neonates Born at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia Volume 4 - Issue 3

Wassachew Ashebir¹*, Birhanu Miried²

• ¹Department of Public Health, College Of Health Science, Debre Markos University, Ethiopia
• ²Debre Markos Referral Hospital, East Gojam Zone, Ethiopia

Received: December 18, 2020Published: March 24, 2021

Corresponding author: Wassachew Ashebir, Debre Markos University, College Of Health Science, Department Of Public Health.

DOI: 10.32474/IGWHC.2021.04.000192

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Abstract

Background: The weight of an infant at birth matters since it is a reliable reflection of intrauterine growth. Low birth weight remains to be a leading cause of neonatal death and is a major contributor to infant and under-five mortality. Reducing infant mortality is a global priority which is particularly relevant in developing countries including Ethiopia. To do this, preventing the risk of low birth weight and improving birth weight remains essential. However, measuring weight at birth and documenting the toll of low birth weight with its various factors in Ethiopia is not well. studied. Hence, the main aim of this study was to determine prevalence and identify factors affecting birth weight of newborns born at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: An institutional based cross-sectional study was employed among mothers who gave a live birth neonate at Debre Markos Referral Hospital from January 01 to February 30. A total of 227 mother-newborn pairs were selected using systematic random sampling techniques. An interviewer administered and structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was entered, cleaned and edited using EPI data and exported to SPSS version for analysis. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were fitted and odds ratio and 95% CI were computed. A p-value of <0.05 was considered as statistical significant.

Result: The overall prevalence of low birth weight was 37 %. In this study, sex of the newborn (AOR = 3.93, 95% CI: (1.79, 8.54)), previous history of low birth weight (AOR = 3.21, 95% CI:(1.5-14.2)), anemia during current pregnancy (AOR=24.05; 95% (10.39, 55) and having bad obstetric history (AOR=2.1; 95% (1.3-10.4) were the significant predictors of low birth weight.

Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of low birth weight in the study area. Hence, health care providers should give especial emphasis on focused antenatal care to ensure risk of low birth weight is detected early and treated appropriately. They should be followed up to ensure normal progression of pregnancy.

Keywords: Birth weight; Newborn; Low birth weight; Giving birth

Abbreviations: ANC; Antenatal care; AOR; Adjusted odds ratio; CI; Confidence interval; COR; Crude odds ratio; LBW; Low birth weight; MUAC; Mid-upper arm circumference; SSA; Sub Saharan Africa; WHO; World health organization

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