Factors Related to Low Barth Weight in Maternal and Child Hospital Ratchaburi

Abstract

          Healthy child is the target of child development, therefore newborns’ weight should not be less than 2,500 grams. The Eighth National Public Health Developing Plan (A.D.1997 - 2001)  indicates that the percentage of low birth weight infants should not more than 7.0%  of total newborns but from the surveyed result of low birth weight infants at Maternal and Child Hospital (A.D. 1999), it was found that the percentage of low birth weight infants was 8.46% of total newborns. To study the percentage and factors related to low birth weight infants, this prospective study was done in 594 mothers who delivered at Maternal and Child Hospital during March 3, 2001 and May 25, 2001. Collecting data by detaching data from maternal and child charts and interviewing them. It was found that the percentage of low birth weight infants was 8.2%. There were seven factors that related to low birth weight infants. These were gestational age (< 37 weeks ; p-value = .000), complications (p-value = .000), antenatal care visit (< 4 ; p-value = .001), age (≤ 20, > 35 years ; p-value = .013), gained weight (≤ 10 kilograms ; p-value = .024), twins (p-value = .000), and faulty placentation (p-value = .000).  A good quality antenatal care, together with decreasing factors related to low birth weight infants by health education might reduces low birth weight infants and besides, improves region 4 public health status.