The effect of maternal anemia on different anthropometric parameters of newborns - A case-control study

Complex interaction of maternal environment has been considered to play pivotal role in fetal survival including postnatal growth and future development. Anemia during pregnancy is being studied as a major determinant of obstetric outcome and effect on anthropometric parameters of newborns. Accordingly, an attempt was made to study the effects of maternal anemia on birth weight (BW) and other parameters of newborns while keeping attention on different maternal bio-social proximates.

An observational study included 200 mother-newborn dyad: newborns of mothers suffering from anemia during pregnancy and another group consisting of newborns born to non-anemic mothers. Appropriate statistical analysis was done to interpret the anthropometric data of newborns to assess the relationship between maternal factors including anemia and neonatal outcome before the results of the study were compared with similar types of studies performed earlier on different population groups.

Significant differences (P < 0.05) in anthropometric parameters (birth weight, length, crown-rump length, maximum cranial breadth, head circumference, chest circumference, abdominal circumference) of newborns were observed between the two groups. More or less no difference (p ≥ 0.05) was found on account of maternal parameters except anemia. Correlations of the mother's anemic level with each newborn anthropometric parameter were computed and maximum correlation was studied with crown-rump length (r = 0.40, P < 0.01).

Maternal anemia as an individual factor can significantly explain variations of different birth parameters of newborns which could be possibly due to its chronic effect on growth potential rather than its acute effect which is usually exerted on birth weight alone.