Abstract

INCIDENCE OF LOW BIRTH WEIGHTS BABIES AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG POST PARTUM MOTHERS WHO GAVE BIRTH AT FELEGEHIOWT REFERRAL HOSPITAL, BAHRIDAR, ETHIOPIA.

Getachew Gebremedhin*, Teumay Abraha, Dr BelaYnew Wassie, Berhe Desalegne

ABSTRACT

Background: World Health Organization, newborn infant of less than 2,500 grams at birth is classified as low weight. Low birth weight (LBW) babies are significantly at risk of death, contributing to the high perinatal morbidity and mortality in low resource countries. Objective: To assess the incidence of Low birth weights babies and associated factors among post partum mothers who gave birth at Felegehiowt Referral Hospital. Methods: Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on laboring mothers at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital Bahirdar. Data were collected by using interviewer administer questionnaire. The returned questionnaires were checked for completeness, cleaned manually daily and entered in to EPI INFO Version 3.5.3 and then transferred to SPSS for windows version 16.0 for further analysis. Frequencies, proportions and summary statistics were used to describe the study population in relation to relevant variables. Association between dependent and independent variables were assessed by using binary and multiple logistic regressions. Result: From the total 179 respondent cases, 36(20.11%) mothers were gave birth at short Inter Pregnancy Interval (IPI). Low birth weight deliveries were occurred in 21.23% of the delivery cases. Illitrat mothers had higher rate of 28(73.7%) in giving low birth weight deliveries. Inter Pregnancy Interval had no significant association on the Low Birth Weight. Mothers who gave birth LBW neonate had siginificant association with non pre eclamptic/eclamptic 33(86.8%) with [AOR=7.82, 95% CI (1.63, 37.47.2] and rural residence 25(65.8%) with [AOR=5.09, 95% CI (2.01,12.85] OR had LBW deliveries respectively. Conclusion: Mothers who had short birth to pregnancy interval had risk to give low birth weight babies. Significant number of mothers gave low birth weight babies. Illiterate mothers and mothers from the rural had significant role in low birth weight babies.

Keywords: Post partum, Felegehiowt, Felege Hiwot.