Factors Associated With Low Birth at Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation: Aninstitution-based Cross-sectional Study
Introduction
Background: Low birth weight (LBW) is a significant public health issue in lowandmiddle-income countries and a leading cause of neonatal deaths. Weaimedto assess factors associated with LBW at Georgetown PublicHospitalCorporation (GPHC).
Method
Methods: We conducted an analytic cross-sectional study at GPHC among allwomenwho delivered a single live baby from July to September 2022 . Wecollecteddata using a structured interview questionnaire and a reviewof healthrecords. 1,304 mothers and their respective live-born babies were includedin the study. LBW was defined as a child’s weight at birth being less than2500g (5.5 pounds). Descriptive analyses were carried out for both theoutcome and independent variables. Bivariate and multiple logisticregression were used to identify factors associated with LBW at p 0.05
Results
Results: The prevalence of low birth weight was 13.3% (95% IC: 11.6-15.3).Theaverage weight at birth was 3052.7 +549.9 grams. LBW was associated withwomen who became pregnant for first time (AOR: 2.18, 95%CI = [1.40-3.38]), who smoked during pregnancy (AOR: 3.41, 95%CI:[1.05-11.03]), who had fewer than eight antenatal care visits (AOR:2.43, 95%CI = [1.54-3.83] ). Similarly, those who had gestationalhypertension (AOR: 2.30,95%CI = [1.36-3.90]), urinary tract infectionsduring pregnancy (AOR: 1.91, 95%CI = [1.22-2.97] ), and who gave birthbefore 37 weeks of gestational age (AOR: 22.65, 95%CI = [14.32-35.83] )were also more likelyto have their babies born with LBW.
Conclusion
Conclusion: The prevalence of LBW at GPHC was higher than the nationalestimates. Emphasis should be given to the behavioral characteristics of the mothers, antenatal care visits and disease-specific antenatalcare provision byappropriate health professionals to reduce LBW atGPHC.