MATERNAL ANTHROPOMETRY AND BIRTH WEIGHT AMONG NULLIPAROUS WOMEN IN TWO NIGERIAN TEACHING HOSPITALS

Abstract

Background: The reduction of maternal mortality and the improvement of
infant survival are currently at the forefront of health issues and health sector
reforms worldwide and in particular our country. Thus, efforts should be
made to identify those risk factors that mitigate against achieving the above,
with a view to putting in appropriate measures to combact them at all levels.

Aim: This prospective study aimed to determine the relationship between
maternal height, velocity of weight gain in the third trimester of pregnancy
and birth-weight. It also aimed to assess their reliability in predicting low
birth weight (LBW).

Methods: A cohort prospective study of pregnant women in the third
trimester of pregnancy involving three measurements of weight at 30, 34 and
38 weeks gestation; maternal height at booking and their babies weight at
birth was conducted at two tertiary institutions in Lagos State. Analysis was
done using Epi-info 2000 package

Results: Two hundred and sixty pregnant women between the ages of 20
and 39 years, predominantly university graduates were involved in the study.
The mean delivery age was 39 weeks with more male babies (55.2%) being
delivered. The overall incidence of LBW in this study is 17%. Twenty-eight
and half percent (28.5%) of the women gained <1kg between 30 and 34
weeks of gestation with 22.7% of them having LBW babies (<2.5kg at
birth). Between the 34th and 38th week of gestation, 21.6% of the women
gained <1kg and 30% of them delivered LBW babies. Overall, between the
30th and 38th week of gestation, 12.5% of the women gained <1kg with
17.2% of them having LBW babies. Six and half percent (6.5%) of the
women were taller than 1.5m and yet had LBW babies. The only woman in
the study who was <1.5m in height had a normal weight baby

Conclusion: The incidence of LBW in this study is consistent with previous
reports. This study showed the positive relationship between adequate
weight gain in pregnancy, taller women and normal birth weight. However
the study could neither conclude that gaining <1kg in the specified 8 week
period increased the risk for LBW nor could it conclude that a height
of<1.5m increased the risk for LBW. Finally, the reliability of height and
velocity of maternal weight gain in predicting the risk for LBW was not
established.

MATERNAL ANTHROPOMETRY AND BIRTH WEIGHT AMONG NULLIPAROUS WOMEN IN TWO NIGERIAN TEACHING HOSPITALS