Abstract:
Background: Low birth weight is one of the major public health problems affecting newborns in low-income countries. Low birth weight babies are more likely to die or disabled. However, there is limited evidence on determinants of low birth weight among newborns delivered at health facilities in the study area.
Objective: To identify determinants of low-birth-weight among women who gave live in hospitals of Southwest Shoa Zone.
Methods: Unmatched facility-based case-control study was conducted among 309 study participants (103 cases and 206 controls) from September 1, 2022, to October 31, 2022. Cases were selected by taking all cases during data collection and a systematic sampling technique was used to select the controls. The data were collected by an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. After data collection, data were checked for completeness and coded, cleaned, and entered using EPI INFO version 7.2.2.6 and exported to SPSS version 24 for data cleaning and analysis. Texts, tables, and proportions were used to present categorical data. Bivariable binary Logistic regression analysis was carried out to select candidate determinants of low birth weight for the final model. Finally, multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to control for all possible confounders and identify determinants of low birth weight. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) along with 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated to measure the strength of the association. Level of statistical significance was declared at p-values less than 0.05.
Results: Insufficient source of information (AOR,2.9;95% CI, 1.2,7.2), lack of nutritional counseling (AOR,3.6; 95% CI,1.3,9.8), lack of deworming during current pregnancy (AOR,3.6; 95% CI,1.4,9.8), MUAC <23cm (AOR,4.2; 95% CI, 2.3,7.7), maternal history of previous LBW (AOR, 3.4; 95% CI,1.1,11.1), presence of obstetric complications (AOR, 5.1; 95% CI, 2.3,11.2), hemoglobin level <11g/dl (AOR,3.0;95% CI, 1.4,6.5), and mothers’ history of reported chat chewing (AOR,2.8,95% CI,1.1,7.2) were independent determinants.
Conclusion: This study evidenced that having insufficient sources of information, lack of nutritional counseling and deworming during the current pregnancy, maternal undernutrition and anemia existing s history of low birth weight, pregnancy-related complications, and history of reported khat chewing during pregnancy were identified as determinants of LBW
