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ISSN 0971-0973
Abstract:
Birth weight is the most important factor that affects infant and child mortality. This one year study was
conducted in a cohort of pregnant women to study the proportion of low birth weight babies and to find out the
socio-economic and maternal risk factors affecting the birth weight of newborns and its medico-legal significance.
Information regarding socio-economic status, obstetric history and present pregnancy was collected. These women
were followed up till their delivery and birth weight was recorded with 24 hours of delivery. Birth weight was
available for 256 births. The overall prevalence of low birth weight was 34.37%. Overall mean birth weight was
found to be 2.640.444 with 95% confidence interval of 2.59-2.69. Primigravida mothers showed the highest
prevalence of low birth weight (30.86%, p< 0.001). The main factors which were significantly associated with LBW
were maternal education, stature, age at delivery; short inter pregnancy interval, inadequate antenatal care, and per
capita income of family.
Key words: Low Birth Weight (LBW), Risk Factors, Body Mass Index (BMI), Medico-legal Significance
LBW being one of the global indicators of
community health, it is imperative that periodic
monitoring be undertaken to evaluate the impact of
preventive health services.
During past decade, several intervention
programmes including Safe Motherhood and
Reproductive Health, have been launched all over to
improve the health status of mothers and children. It
was in this context, the present study was designed to
find out the effect of various socio-economic and
maternal risk factors on the birth weight of
institutionally delivered newborns and its medicolegal significance.
Introduction:
Birth weight is the single most important
criterion for determining the neonatal and infant
survival. Low Birth Weight (LBW) is a sensitive
indicator of the socio-economic conditions and
indirectly measures the health of the mother and
the child. Babies with a birth weight of less than
2500 g irrespective of the period of their gestation
are termed as Low Birth Weight (LBW) babies
[1]. In India 30-35% babies are LBW and more
than half of these LBW newborns are full term
babies [2]. A cross-sectional hospital based study
done in Western Developmental Region of Nepal
showed 29.8% of infants were born with a low
birth weight [3].
Corresponding Author:
Dr. H S Joshi
*Associate Professor
Department of Community Medicine,
Rohilkhand Medical College & Hospital,
Bareilly, U'P; India
drjoshiharish@rediffmail.com
**Associate Professor
Department of Forensic Medicine
***Additional Professor and Head
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology
SSR Medical College, Belle Rive, Mauritius.
****Assistant Professor,
Department of Pharmacology,
*****Assistant Professor,
Department of Pharmacology,
******Intern, MCOMS, Pokhara, Nepal
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ISSN 0971-0973
Statistical Analysis:
The data was tabulated according to the
various socio-economic and maternal factors included
in the study and was analyzed using statistical
software SPSS 10.0 for windows (SPSS Inc.,
Chicago, IL, USA). In order to test for association
between two variables, a Chi-square and Normal test
for proportion were applied.
Results:
Overall mean birth weight was found to be
2.64 0.444 kg with 95% confidence interval (CI) of
2.59 -2.69. Out of total 34.37% newborns were
weighing less than 2.50 kg and 95% CI for the
prevalence of LBW was 28.58-40.22 (Table I).
Maternal education (2=8.78, p<0.005),
occupation (2=8.14, p< 0.02) and percapita income
of the family per month (2=22.02, p<0.001) were
found to be significantly associated with birth weight
of the newborn (Table II).
Utilization of antenatal care was adequate (
3 antenatal visits) in 58.20% mothers. There was
significant association between birth weight and
utilization of antenatal care by mothers (2=26.01,
p<0.001) (Table III).
Out of 177 births birth, interval in relation to
previous birth was found to be less than 3 years in
74.01% mothers. Here the birth weight was found to
be significantly associated with birth interval in
relation to previous birth (Table IV).
Maternal age (2=10.19, p<0.01), parity
2
( =13.4, p<0.01) and BMI (2=17.57, p<0.001) were
found to be significantly associated with LBW (Table
V). Out of the total, 65 (25.39%) mothers had history
of past adverse outcome of which 56.92% delivered
LBW newborns. History of past adverse outcome was
found to be significantly associated with LBW
(Z=4.36, p<0.001) (Table VI).
Medico-legal Significance:
Approximately half of neonatal deaths take
place within first two days of life and it very closely
associated with pre-maturity- a premature infants
being defined as one with a birth weight of less than
2.5 kg (5.5 lb) [12]. Morbidity and mortality among
LBW infants are well documented in the literatures.
In a study from South Africa, neonatal death rates for
various weight categories was reported to be highest
among neonates weighing 1000-1499 g and lowest in
>2499 g [13]. In our study, we found 78 low birth
weight babies out of total 256. It has a great medicolegal significance as it is this phase that child murder
(infanticide) is most probable. Also, filicide i.e. the
killing of a child by its parents may be a challenge for
medico-legal experts in deciding cause of death and
Discussion:
Based on the observations of the present study, it
was found that out of a total of 256 newborns, 88
(34.37%) had birth weight less than 2.5 kg. Overall
mean birth weight was 2.64 0.444 kg (confidence
interval 2.59 2.69). It is more than what observed in
hospital based study (29.8%) done in Western Region
Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal [3] and Kathmandu [5, 6].
It was observed that 38.67% mothers were
illiterate and 45.45% of them delivered LBW babies,
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ISSN 0971-0973
2.
3.
4.
5.
References:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Conclusion:
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Table I
Distribution of birth weight according to sex of newborn
Birth weight (in kg)
< 1.00
1.00-1.49
1.50-1.99
2.00-2.49
2.50-2.99
3.00-3.49
> 3.50
Total
Mean SD
Male (%)
00 (0)
02 (1.48)
07 (5.19)
35 (25.92)
67 (49.63)
23 (17.04)
01 (0.74)
135 (100)
2.6380.434
Female (%)
01 (0.83)
01 (0.83)
06 (4.96)
36 (29.75)
56 (46.28)
19 (15.70)
02 (1.65)
121(100)
2.6170.464
214
Total
01 (0.39)
03 (1.17)
13 (5.08)
71 (27.73)
123(48.05)
42 (16.41)
03 (1.17)
256(100)
2.640.444
ISSN 0971-0973
Table II
Relationship of socio-economic factors with LBW
Socio-economic factors
Maternal education
Illiterate
Primary
Maternal occupation
House wife
Labourer
Service
Per-capita income (INR)
<150
150-299
300-499
500
Odds Ratio
95% CI
Significance Test
45 (45.45)
43 (27.39)
2.21
1
1.26-3.38
99(38.67)
157 (61.33)
52(34.90)
29(43.94)
07(21.16)
2.6
3.81
1
1.04 7.42
1.36 11.02
149(58.20)
66(25.78)
41(16.02)
41(52.56)
29(34.12)
13(24.07)
05(12.82)
7.54
3.52
2.16
1
2.52 26.85
1.18 12.66
0.63 7.78
78(30.47)
85(33.20)
54(21.09)
39(15.23)
LBW (%)
Odds Ratio
95% CI
Total (%)
Significance Test
Nil (0)
Inadequate(1-2)
Adequate(3)
Total
21(61.76)
34(46.57)
33(22.15)
88
5.68
3.06
1
2.4 -13.56
1.61- 5.35
34(13.28)
73(28.52)
149(58.20)
256
2=20.89,df=1 p<0.001
2=13.87, df=1p<0.001
2=26.01, df = 2, p<0.001
Table IV
Association of birth weight with birth interval
Birth interval(in years)
LBW (%)
Odds Ratio
95% CI
Total (%)
Significance Test
<3
3
Total
56(42.75)
09(19.57)
65
3.07
1
1.29 7.48
131(74.01)
46(25.99)
177*
LBW (%)
Odds Ratio
95% CI
Total (%)
31(53.45)
33(30.55)
18(24.66)
06(35.29)
2.61
1
0.74
1.24
1.28 5.33
58(22.66)
108(42.19)
73(28.51)
17(6.64
23(29.11)
19(23.46)
26(45.61)
20(51.28)
1.34
1
2.74
3.43
0.62 2.89
43(47.25)
34(35.79)
11(15.71)
88
4.80
2.99
1
2.11 11.12
1.31 6.95
0.36 1.53
0.37 4.04
1.24 6.09
1.42 8.40
79(30.86)
81(31.64)
57(22.27)
39(15.23)
91(35.55)
95(37.11)
70(27.34)
256
Significance Test
2=13.11, df=3, p<0.01
2=8.35,df=1, p<0.005
2=0.49,df=1,p=0.49, NS
2=0.01,df=1,p=0.91, NS
2=13.4,df= 3, p<0.01
2=0.4,df=1,p=0.53, NS
2=7.47, df=1, p<0.01
2=9.29,df=1, p<0.005
2=17.57,df=2, p<0.001
2=17.66,df=1, p<0.001
2=8.19,df=1, p<0.005
Table VI
Relationship between past adverse pregnancy outcome and birth weight
Past adverse Outcome
No. of Newborns
LBW (%)
Odds Ratio
Significance Test
Abortion
19
17(89.47)
23.33
2=28.30,df=1, p<0.001
Still Birth
07
05(71.43)
6.86
2=4.64, df=1, p<0.05
Neonatal Death
11
06(54.55)
3.29
2=2.43, df=1, p=0.99, NS
Previous LBW deliveries 28
19(67.86)
5.80
2=17.17, df=1, p<0.001
Normal
191
51(26.7)
1
Total
256
88
Z=4.36, p< 0.001
215