Cent Eur J Public Health 2022, 30(Supplement):S43-S49 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a6883

Risk factors associated with low birth weight

Jana Diabelková1, Kvetoslava Rimárová1, Peter Urdzík2, Erik Dorko1, Andrea Houžvičková1, Štefánia Andraščíková3, Erik Drabiščák1, Gabriela Škrečková4
1 Department of Public Health and Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
2 Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University and Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
3 Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Health Care, University of Prešov, Prešov, Slovak Republic
4 Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Care, University of Prešov, Prešov, Slovak Republic

Objectives: Low birth weight (LBW) is one of the major factors affecting child morbidity and mortality worldwide. Every day, approximately 800 women die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth worldwide. Maternal ill health increases the risk of LBW. This study seeks to investigate determinants and incidence of LBW.

Methods: This study was conducted based on the medical records of mothers and their 1,946 infants born in 2016-2019 at the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Košice. Data on mothers and newborn infants were obtained from the Reports on mothers at childbirth. The inclusion criteria were singleton births and birth weight > 500 g. The exclusion criteria were twins or multiple births, congenital anomalies and stillbirths, birth weight ≥ 4,000 g or ≤ 500 g, and Roma ethnicity. Roma children are more likely to be born prematurely, with low birth weight. Roma mothers have different lifestyle. Univariate analysis was employed to evaluate the association between the independent variables and LBW. Variables that were found to be statistically significant were then further analysed using multivariable logistic analysis for each dependent variable. The implementation of the research was approved by the Ethics Committee.

Results: Of 1,946 newborns, 271 (13.90%) have low birth weight. The mean of birth weight at delivery was 3,068.62 (SD 671.16) grams. Factors that were associated with LBW were primary maternal education (OR = 2.98, 95% CI: 1.08-8.21, p = 0.034), marital status single (OR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.68-4.94, p < 0.001), number of prenatal care visits less than 8 (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.01-2.61, p = 0.047), and preterm birth (OR = 74.94, 95% CI: 45.44-123.61, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The reducing of LBW requires strategies to improve maternal lifestyle, maternal care before, during and after birth and to strengthen social support.

Keywords: low birth weight, risk factors, newborn

Received: March 30, 2021; Accepted: February 28, 2022; Published: June 27, 2022  Show citation

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Diabelková J, Rimárová K, Urdzík P, Dorko E, Houžvičková A, Andraščíková Š, et al.. Risk factors associated with low birth weight. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2022;30(Supplement):S43-49. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a6883. PubMed PMID: 35841225.
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