Low Birth Weight and its Associated Factors: A Hospital-Based Study

Introduction: Low birth weight (LBW) is a major public health problem in developing country like India and closely associated with the fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. There is a scarcity of research in this field. Hence, the present study was undertaken. Objective: The objective of the study was to find out the proportion of LBW and its associated factors. Methodology: The study was conducted in municipal corporation referral hospital from September 2019 to December 2019 comprising 100 postnatal mothers and their newborn babies. The data were collected regarding sociodemographic characteristics, obstetric details, and postnatal outcome. Both mothers and newborn babies were examined and all babies were weighed within 24 h after the birth. Data were entered into Excel sheet and analyzed using Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences version 17.0. Results: The proportion of LBW was found to be 16%. A statistically significant association was found between education, socioeconomic status, age at 1st pregnancy, interpregnancy interval, maternal weight, and maternal illness with LBW. Conclusion: The proportion of LBW was found to be 16% and associated with maternal weight and maternal illness during pregnancy. Key words: Institutional delivery, low birth weight, maternal factors, newborn, proportion