Epidemiological determinants of low birth weight: A prospective study.

CONTEXT: Infant and child survival is recognized as an essential ingredient for the overall health of a society.

AIMS: To study the magnitude and epidemiological determinants of LBW.

SETTINGS AND

DESIGN

Community-based longitudinal study.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted for a period of 1 year in Block R.S Pura, Jammu where 364 pregnant women registered at four randomly selected PHCs were followed to assess the magnitude of LBW and to study its association with various determinants.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data was analyzed using MS Excel and Open epi version 3.01.

RESULTS

Severe anemia, heavy physical activity, low socioeconomic status, illiteracy, extreme ages, and short stature of women were found to be significantly associated with a higher incidence of LBW babies.

CONCLUSION

There is a need to focus on the sensitization of grass-root level health workers as well as pregnant females and their families on the importance of antenatal care, good dietary practices, etc., Thus, strengthening the primary health care system is vital in ensuring optimum health of both mothers and newborns.