Determinants of Low Birth Weight Babies Delivered at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital: A Case-Control Study
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Background
Low birth weight (LBW), defined as infants weighing less than 2500 grams, is a key indicator of health and developmental outcomes. It is associated with long term consequences such as increased risks of behavioral, psychological and learning challenges. The contributing factors of LBW includes poverty, maternal smoking, limited access to healthcare and so on. Understanding these influences is essential for effective intervention strategies. Thus, this study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with low birth weight babies delivered at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Methods
Hospital based age matched (± 5 years) case-control study was carried out from 1 st August 2024 to 30 th January 2025 among the mothers who delivered live babies at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital. A total of 57 cases and 114 controls in the ratio of 1:2 were selected as study participants. Information regarding exposure status was obtained through interviews and medical records. Chi-square test, mann-whitney U test and binary logistic regression were performed at 95% CI to test the association by using SPSS version 11.5.
Results
The adjusted multivariate logistics regression analysis revealed that independent risk factors associated with LBW baby were educational status of mother (AOR: 6.32; 95% CI 1.90 to 21.05), per capita income (AOR: 2.89; 95% CI 1.02 to 8.18), parity (AOR: 4.80; 95% CI 1.91 to 12.07), hemoglobin level (AOR: 6.19; 95% CI 1.79 to 21.38), period of gestation (AOR: 8.16; 95% CI 2.42 to 27.49), weight before pregnancy (AOR: 4.86; 95% CI 1.02 to 23.29), history of chronic medical illness (AOR: 8.22; 95% CI 2.25 to 29.99) and illness during pregnancy (AOR: 3.33; 95% CI 1.20 to 9.28), type of diet (AOR: 4.84; 95% CI 1.14 to 20.64)
Conclusion
Study findings suggest that selected targeted interventions such as improving maternal education and nutrition, intake of iron rich food, increasing maternal weight before pregnancy, avoiding smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy can prevent LBW in Nepal.
