Low birthweight at a Papua New Guinea highlands hospital

A prospective case-control study involving 75 low birthweight (LBW) babies and 224 controls was carried out at the Mount Hagen General Hospital over a period of 7 months, from June to December 1997. Identified risk factors for LBW in this population included maternal age (age less than 22 years or over 35 years, p = 0.03), a birth interval of less than 2 years (p = 0.006), no antenatal booking (p = <0.005), low attendance at antenatal clinic (p = <0.005), fever during pregnancy (p = <0.005), PET (p = 0.05), APH (p = <0.015), and maternal smoking during pregnancy (p = 0.008). Other well-established risk factors for LBW, i.e. small stature, low body mass index (BMI), haemoglobin less than 8 g/dl, and low educational attainment, appeared to be more frequent in the mothers of the LBW babies than the controls but differences did not reach statistical significance. The results suggest the need for improved provision of, and efforts to increase the use of, antenatal and family planning services. The results also provide clear evidence of the deleterious effects of smoking during pregnancy in a developing country.