Low birth weight in a municipality in the southeast region of Brazil

epidemiological cross-sectional study with data collected by means of the Brazilian Live Birth Information System related to births occurred in the city of São Paulo between 2007 and 2013. Maternal, gestational, childbirth, and neonatal variables were analyzed descriptively and by association.

Results:

9.65% (1,342,655) of live births were underweight (mean of 3234.55 grams in the term group and 2312.17 in the pre-term group) with a mean maternal age of 27.53 years old. The risk factors identified include maternal age, not having a partner, low maternal level of education, other race rather than white, pre-term pregnancy, multiple births, low number of prenatal check-ups, and cesarean delivery.

Conclusion:

knowledge of this evidence favors planning the care provided by defining strategies to reduce it and consequently improve maternal and infant health care.

Key words:
Epidemiology; Low Birth Weight Infant; Epidemiologic Factors

Variables	Term					Pre-Term
Variables	Total n = 1.190.810	Prevalence of low weight (%) 3.80	*Odds ratio*	CI 95%	P value	Total n = 134.000	Prevalence of low weight (%) 57.30	*Odds ratio*	CI 95%	P value
Mother's age
< 20 years old		4.80	1.323	(1.289; 1.357)	<0.001		14.10	1.082	(1.049; 1.117)	<0.001
20 - 35 years old		3.60	1	-	-		56.70	1	-	-
> 35 years old		4.30	1.155	(1.124; 1.187)	<0.001		16.30	1.078	(1.047; 1.111)	<0.001
Marital status
With a partner		3.40	1	-	-		55.80	1	-	-
No partner		4.20	1.265	(1.241; 1.289)	<0.001		58.70	1.126	(1.101; 1.150)	<0.001
Education
None		5.30	1.407	(1.200; 1.651)	<0.001		63.30	1.284	(1.041; 1.584)	0.019
1 - 3 years		5.10	1.342	(1.262; 1.427)	<0.001		59.30	1.084	(0.997; 1.180)	0.059
4-7 years		4.80	1.328	(1.296; 1.360)	<0.001		58.90	1.077	(1.044; 1.111)	<0.001
8-11 years		3.80	1.002	(0.983; 1.021)	0.87		57.20	1.002	(0.983; 1.021)	0.315
12 or more		3.40	1	-	-		56.60	1	-	-
Delivery
Vaginal		4.00	1	-	-		52.70	1	-	-
Cesarean		3.80	0.947	(0.929; 0.965)	<0.001		60.20	1.36	(1.330; 1.391)	<0.001
Prenatal check-ups
None		11.40	3.305	(3.119; 3.502)	<0.001		75.90	2.408	(2.232; 2.598)	<0.001
1 -3		6.70	1.864	(1.792; 1.940)	<0.001		69.20	1.768	(1.700; 1.839)	<0.001
4-6		4.90	1.382	(1.351; 1.414)	<0.001		63.50	1.442	(1.407; 1.477)	<0.001
7 or more		7.40	1	-	-		51.20	1	-	-
Gender of the newborn
Female		4.60	1.472	(1.450; 1.506)	<0.001		60.50	1.281	(1.253; 1.309)	<0.001
Male		3.10	1	-	-		54.50	1	-	-
Race
White		3.60	1	-	-		57.60	1	-	-
Non-white		4.30	1.184	(1.161; 1.207)	<0.001		56.90	0.975	(0.952; 0.997)	0.029

	Term			Pre-Term
Variables	OR adjusted	CI 95%	P value	OR adjusted	CI 95%	P value
Female	1.489	(1.460; 1.518)	<0.001	1.294	(1.265; 1.323)	<0.001
Maternal age > 35 years old	1.237	(1.203; 1.273)	<0.001	1.16	(1.125; 1.197)	<0.001
Non-white race	1.117	(1.095; 1.139)	<0.001	0.887	(0.866; 0.909)	<0.001
7 or more prenatal check-ups	0.618	(0.605; 0.631)	<0.001	0.53	(0.518; 0.543)	<0.001
No companion	1.166	(1.142; 1.189)	<0.001	-	-	-

Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem SGA Norte Quadra 603 Conj. "B" - Av. L2 Norte 70830-102 Brasília, DF, Brasil, Tel.: (55 61) 3226-0653, Fax: (55 61) 3225-4473 - Brasília - DF - Brazil
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[1] CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Maria Magda Ferreira Gomes Balieiro. E-mail: mmfgbalieiro@unifesp.br