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Low birth weight in a heterogenic population
S Mor-Yosef1, Y Ezra, A Samueloff
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah University Hospitals, Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel.
Insights
Low birth weight (LBW) affects infant mortality and disability risks. Maternal age, parity, and hypertension significantly influence LBW rates, with hypertension posing the highest risk.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Neonatal Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Low birth weight (LBW) is a critical determinant of infant mortality and long-term disability.
- Understanding factors influencing LBW is crucial for public health interventions and resource allocation.
- The Israeli population presents a unique demographic for studying LBW determinants due to diverse cultural backgrounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors contributing to low birth weight (LBW) rates in a large cohort.
- To compare LBW rates across different ethnic and cultural groups within Israel.
- To identify specific maternal and pregnancy-related risk factors for LBW.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 22,815 delivery records.
- Comparison of LBW rates between Jewish and non-Jewish populations.
- Statistical evaluation of maternal age, parity, and hypertensive disorders as risk factors.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in LBW rates was observed between Jewish and non-Jewish groups.
- LBW rates increased with maternal age extremes (under 24 and over 40 years).
- Primiparity (first birth) and hypertensive disorders significantly elevated LBW risk, with severe preeclampsia showing the highest association (47.1%).
Conclusions:
- Maternal age, parity, and hypertensive disorders are significant determinants of low birth weight.
- Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, particularly severe preeclampsia, represent critical risk factors for LBW.
- While ethnic/cultural background showed no difference, specific obstetric factors require targeted attention to reduce LBW.
Abstract:
In order to elucidate some of the factors which influence the low birth weight rate, 22,815 deliveries were studied. It is already known that low birth weight (LBW) underlies the majority of infant deaths. It is also associated with an increased risk of permanent disability such as cerebral palsy, learning difficulties, and mental retardation of various degrees in survivors. In modern society these problems require major resources from the health budget. The Israeli population is composed of Jews and non-Jews, who differ not only in their religion but also in their customs. Most of the Jews are immigrants from many parts of the world who still retain many of the habits, customs and lifestyles of the societies they had lived in for many generations. We evaluated the LBW rate in these different groups. Jews and non-Jews have similar rates of LBW and similar mean birth weights. Other factors such as maternal age, parity, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy showed some statistically significant differences. LBW rates increase from 6.9% in the babies of women aged 24-40 years to 8.5% in those less than 24 years, and 9.5% in those over 40. The risk of LBW was increased in primiparae to 10%. The highest rates were found in babies of mothers with hypertension. Pregnancy induced hypertension is associated with a LBW rate of 15.6% and chronic hypertension with a rate of 23%. Moderate and severe preeclampsia are important risk factors since they increase the rate to 15% and 47.1%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)