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Low birth weight in a subnormal urban cluster under Family Health Strategy’s care

Abstract

Objectives:

to identify the prevalence and to analyze the factors associated with low birth weight in a subnormal urban cluster in Pernambuco under Family Health Strategy’s care.

Methods:

a cross-sectional study with a census sample carried out between July and October in 2015. The variables studied were age and years of maternal schooling, social status, housing, water supply, waste disposal, prenatal care, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking during pregnancy, along with gender, birth weight and prematurity. Stata 12.1 was utilized in order to understand the factors associated with low birth weight through uni-and-multivariate Poisson analysis, adjusted and gross prevalence ratios, composing a final statistical model considering p value <0.05 for statistical significance.

Results:

regarding the 294 children the LBW prevalence was 12.2% (CI95% = 8.7-16.5). Children whose mothers reported drinking during pregnancy were 2.78 times more at risk of being born with low birth weight (p<0.001) when compared with children whose mothers did not report this practice in gestation.

Conclusions:

the study evidenced the relevance maternal habits bears in the newborns’ health.

Key words
Low birth weight; Prevalence; Primary health care

Resumo

Objetivos:

identificar a prevalência e analisar os fatores associados ao baixo peso ao nascer em um aglomerado urbano subnormal em Pernambuco assistido pela Estratégia de Saúde da Família.

Métodos:

estudo transversal, com amostra censitária, realizado entre julho e outubro de 2015. As variáveis estudadas foram idade e anos de estudo maternos, classe social, moradia, abastecimento de água, destino dos dejetos, pré-natal, consumo de bebidas alcoólicas e uso de cigarro na gestação, sexo da criança, peso ao nascer e prematuridade. Utilizou-se o Stata 12.1 para analisar os fatores associados ao baixo peso ao nascer através das análises uni e multivariada de Poisson, razões de prevalências brutas e ajustadas compondo um modelo estatístico final e considerando para fins de significação estatística o valor p<0,05.

Resultados:

das 294 crianças, a prevalência de BPN foi de 12,2% (IC95%= 8,7-16,5). As crianças cujas mães referiram o consumo de bebidas alcoólicas durante a gestação tinham o risco de nascer com baixo peso de 2,78 vezes maior (p<0,001) quando comparadas às crianças cujas mães não referiram essa prática na gestação.

Conclusões:

o estudo evidenciou a relevância dos hábitos maternos na saúde do recém-nascido.

Palavras-chave
Recém-nascido de baixo peso; Prevalência; Atenção primária à saúde

Introduction

Birth weight represents an important indicator of intrauterine conditions to which a child is subjected during the gestation period.11 Santos SPD, Oliveira LMB. Baixo peso ao nascer e sua relação com obesidade e síndrome metabólica na infância e adolescência. Rev Ciênc Méd Biol. 2011; 10 (3): 329-36.,22 Jesus GM, Castelão ES, Vieira TO, Gomes DR, Oliveira VG. Déficit nutricional em crianças de uma cidade de grande porte do interior da Bahia. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2014;19(5):1581-8. It is considered an important predictor of survival probability for newborns in the short term; of the physiological development of a child in the medium term; and of an adult’s health in the long term, increasing the risk of developing chronic, non-transmissible diseases. 33 Quaresma ME, Almeida AC, Méio MD, Lopes JM, Peixoto MV. Factors associated with hospitalization during neonatal period. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2018; 94: 390-8

4 Lima PA, Carvalho M, Costa AC, Moreira ME. Variables associated with extra uterine growth restriction in very low birth weight infants. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2014; 90: 22-7.
-55 Kropiwiec MV, Franco SC, Amaral AR. Fatores associados à mortalidade infantil em município com índice de desen-volvimento humano elevado. Rev Paul Pediatr. 2017; 35(4): 391-8.

According to the United Nations (UN), the rate of low birth weight (LBW) is 16% on a world scale and 9% in Brazil, 66 UNICEF (Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância). The State of World’s Children 2016. A fair chance for every child. [acesso em 17 mar 2018]. Disponível em: <https://www.unicef.org/publications/index_91711.html>.
https://www.unicef.org/publications/inde...
and is influenced by assistential, environmental and socioeconomic conditions that the mother experienced in the gestation period. Thus, the following risk factors to LBW emerge: poverty, 77 Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento. Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher - PNDS 2006: relatório final. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde, 2009. [acesso em 17 mar 2018]. Disponível em: http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publi-cacoes/pnds_crianca_mulher.pdf
http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publi-caco...

8 Caminha MFC, Azevedo PTÁCC, Sampaio BB, Acioly VMC, Belo MPM, Lira PIC, Batista Filho M. Aleitamento materno em crianças de 0 a 59 meses no Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil, segundo o peso ao nascer. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2014; 19 (7): 2021-32.
-99 Silva ID, Quevedo LDA, Silva RAD, Oliveira SSD, Pinheiro RT. Associação entre abuso de álcool durante a gestação e o peso ao nascer. Rev Saúde Pública. 2011; 45: 864-9. low educational attainment with consequent lack of information, 1010 Silvestrin S, Silva CH, Hirakata VN, Goldani AA, Silveira PP, Goldani MZ. Maternal education level and low birth weight: a meta-analysis. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2013; 89: 339-45.,1111 Metgud CS, Naik VA, Mallapur MD. Factors affecting birth weight of a newborn-a community based study in rural Karnataka, India. PloS one. 2012; 7 (7): e40040. habits in pregnancy such as the consumption of cigarettes1212 Moreira MÉFH, Silva CL, Freitas RF, Macêdo MS, do Carmo Lessa A. Determinantes socioeconômicos e gesta-cionais do peso ao nascer de crianças nascidas a termo. Medicina (Ribeirao Preto. Online). 2017; 50 (2): 83-90.,1313 Capelli JDCS, Pontes JS, Pereira SEA, Silva AAM, Carmo CND, Boccolini CS, Almeida MFL. Peso ao nascer e fatores associados ao período pré-natal: um estudo trans-versal em hospital maternidade de referência. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2014; 19: 2063-72. and alcoholic beverages, 1414 Sbrana M, Grandi C, Brazan M, Junquera N, Nascimento MS, Barbieri MA, Bettiol H, Cardoso VC. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and perinatal results: a cohort study. São Paulo Med J. 2016; 134 (2): 146-52.

15 Mandal C, Halder D, Jung KH, Chai YG. In Utero Alcohol Exposure and the Alteration of Histone Marks in the Developing Fetus: An Epigenetic Phenomenon of Maternal Drinking. Int J Biol Sci. 2017; 13 (9): 1100-8.
-1616 Paula Pena JC, Oliveira Pedersoli L, Nunes ML, Santos Freitas JM, Fernandes RAQ. Uso de álcool e tabaco na gestação: influência no peso do recém nascido. Rev Saúde-UNG-Ser. 2017; 11 (1/2): 74-82. and assistance in healthcare. 1717 Oliveira LL, Gonçalves AC, Costa JSD, Bonilha ALL. Maternal and neonatal factors related to prematurity. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2016; 50 (3): 382-9.

18 Gonzaga ICA, Santos SLD, Silva ARVD, Campelo V. Atenção pré-natal e fatores de risco associados à prematuridade e baixo peso ao nascer em capital do nordeste brasileiro. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2016; 21(6): 1965-74.
-1919 Heredia-Olivera K, Munares-García O. Maternal factors associated with low birth weight. Rev Méd Inst Mex Seguro Soc. 2016; 54 (5): 562-7. It is, in fact, a field open to more consistent studies on the reality of maternal and infant health in Brazil, notably in regard to the populations from subnormal urban clusters. Favelas and other types of precarious settlements, situation defined as ‘subnormal urban cluster’, 2020 IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). Censo Demográfico 2010. Aglomerados subnormais: informações territoriais. [acesso em: 20 abr.2018]. Disponível em: https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/perio-dicos/552/cd_2010_agsn_if.pdf
https://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualiza...
therefore constitute the most visible expression of the habitational problems. 2121 Ezeh A, Oyebode O, Satterthwaite D, Chen YF, Ndugwa R, Sartori J, Mberu B, Melendez-Torres GJ, Haregu T, Watson SI, Caiaffa W, Capon A, Lilford RJ. The history, geography, and sociology of slums and the health problems of people who live in slums. Lancet. 2017; 389 (10068): 547-58.

The accelerated growth of urban populations, in large part related to the migration flow coming from the rural zone, in addition to its impoverishment, repercutes adversely, with social, nutritional, environmental and health consequences, since in general the families have no conditions to afford the demands of the expenses of housing and other equipments of the urban area, and are, therefore, led to use housing settlements in precarious and irregular conditions to reside in the environment. 2121 Ezeh A, Oyebode O, Satterthwaite D, Chen YF, Ndugwa R, Sartori J, Mberu B, Melendez-Torres GJ, Haregu T, Watson SI, Caiaffa W, Capon A, Lilford RJ. The history, geography, and sociology of slums and the health problems of people who live in slums. Lancet. 2017; 389 (10068): 547-58.

Therefore, a growing number of people start living in slums with limited access to the necessary infrastructure for a healthy life. 77 Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento. Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher - PNDS 2006: relatório final. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde, 2009. [acesso em 17 mar 2018]. Disponível em: http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publi-cacoes/pnds_crianca_mulher.pdf
http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publi-caco...
Characterized this way over 100 years ago in Brazil, they present their own organizational structures, without a strategic plan of urban occupation, lacking and/or having inadequate basic services (water, sewage, electric power distribution network, institutional network of public schools, healthcare and social assistance services), where habitually the labor market presents a high level of informality and insecurity, and the educational attainment level is low, which then justifies the traditional definition of favela.

In that regard, the present study aims at identifying the prevalence and analyzing the factors associated with low birth weight at a subnormal urban cluster in Pernambuco assisted by the family health strategy (FHS).

Methods

Cross-sectional study, part of the inquiry “Saúde, nutrição e serviços assistenciais numa população favelada do Recife”, 2222 Caminha MFC. Desenvolvimento infantil em um aglo-merado urbano subnormal (favela) do Recife, PE. [Relatório de Pós-Doutorado]. Recife: Instituto de Medicina Integral. Prof. Fernando Figueira - IMIP; 2016. with data collection between July and October, 2015, carried out in a subnormal urban cluster in Recife. Adopting census coverage, the inquiry studied all children from 0 to 36 months old who have been registered by Community Health Agents from the two Basic Health Units in the area.

For the current study, variables of interest were selected and an ad hoc database elaborated. LBW (<2,500g) was considered as an outcome variable; and the predictor variables corresponded to maternal age (<20; 20 to 35 and > 36 years), to maternal years of education (>12 and <12), to social status (B; C and D/E), to house type (house and stilt house/shanty/room), to water supply plumbing (yes/no), to the destination of waste in the general sewage network (yes/no), to prenatal care attendance (yes/no), to smoking in pregnancy (yes/no), to alcohol consumption in pregnancy (yes/no) and to child gender (female/male). The social status was evaluated following the classification framework developed by the Brazilian Association of Research Companies (ABEP - Portuguese acronym), 2323 ABEP (Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa). 2014. [acesso em 20 maio 2018]. Disponível em: www.abep.org - abep@abep.org.
www.abep.org...
which considers classes A, B1, B2, C1, C2 and D E, corresponding approximately to the respective average monthly incomes in minimum wages (MW) at 14 MW, 7 MW, 4 MW, 2 MW, 1.6 MW and 1 MW. For analysis purposes, that classification was distributed in three categories: B1/B2=B, C1/C2/=C, D and E.

The children with no information on their birth weight were excluded from the database, collected from the Child Health Record Book and, in the absence of it, from the records at the Basic Health Units.

Aposteriori, the Stata Software (Stata Statistical Software: release 12 - Collete Station, TX, United States) was analyzed to calculate whether the collected sample, albeit of census character, had sufficient power to identify any association between the “alcohol consumption in pregnancy” variable and low birth weight, which corresponded to 88.6% of power.

The categorical variables were presented in tables of absolute and relative frequencies and a confidence interval of 95%. In order to identify the possibly associated factors to the occurence of LBW, set as birth weight at <2,500g, simple and multiple Poisson regression models were adjusted, and the gross and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR), as well as the respective confidence intervals (CI) of 95%, were estimated. As screeningfor the multivariate analysis, the chosen variables were those which showed a value of p<0.20 in the univariate analysis, leaving for the final model those variables with a value of p<0.05. The statistical significance of each variable was evaluated by the Wald test.

The inquiry has been approved by the IMIP’s Committee for Ethics in Research with human subjects, CAAE no. 07246912.6.0000.5201.

Results

Out of the 310 children registered in the original research’s database, 294 children who had information on their birth weight were part of this study. The prevalence of LBW was 12.2% (CI95%=8.7-16.5), which corresponds to 36 out of the 294 children in the study, representing 94.8% of the reported universe of children aged less than 3 years based in the community. Prematurity occurred in 6.1% (18/293).

Table 1 shows the results found through univariate analysis. The lack of sewage system in the residence (p=0.047), no prenatal care (p=0.045), and alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy (p=0.001) were statistically significant.

Table 1
Factors associated with low birth weight in children aged 0 to 36 months at Basic Health Units in a subnormal urban cluster in Northeastern Brazil, Recife, PE, 2015.

Through multivariate analysis, we found that children whose mothers mentioned alcohol consumption in pregnancy were 2.78 times more at risk of being born with low weight (p<0.001) when compared with children whose mothers did not mention such consumption during gestation (Table 2).

Table 2
Factors associated with low birth weight in children aged 0 to 36 months at Basic Health Units in a subnormal urban cluster in Northeastern Brazil, Recife, PE, 2015.

Discussion

In this study, the prevalence of low birth weight was 12.2%. A significant increase in the risk of LBW was found among children whose mothers mentioned alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

The reference value of 12.2% represents much lower prevalence than the world statistics (16%), much higher, however, than the Brazilian average (9%), although countries with a better standard have reached results between 4 and 5%.66 UNICEF (Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância). The State of World’s Children 2016. A fair chance for every child. [acesso em 17 mar 2018]. Disponível em: <https://www.unicef.org/publications/index_91711.html>.
https://www.unicef.org/publications/inde...
Nevertheless, the question remains: would the value of 12.2% apply to urban communities in the studied region with similar features or, with more effectiveness, to other favela populations in Brazil? In other words, what is the external validity of our results, considering the greater, not only initial, interest in reporting the problem of low weight to an estimate reality of 11 million people, which constitutes the demographic effective size of Brazilian favelas? 2121 Ezeh A, Oyebode O, Satterthwaite D, Chen YF, Ndugwa R, Sartori J, Mberu B, Melendez-Torres GJ, Haregu T, Watson SI, Caiaffa W, Capon A, Lilford RJ. The history, geography, and sociology of slums and the health problems of people who live in slums. Lancet. 2017; 389 (10068): 547-58. Briefly, we should remember that the LBW is one of the most discriminating indicators for Health’s international heterogeneities, exemplified with the cases of South Asia (38%) and Iemen (32%), whereas Finland shows 4%.66 UNICEF (Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância). The State of World’s Children 2016. A fair chance for every child. [acesso em 17 mar 2018]. Disponível em: <https://www.unicef.org/publications/index_91711.html>.
https://www.unicef.org/publications/inde...

The limitation of the descriptive data on the LBW problem in the population from Brazilian favelas anticipates the qualitative and quantitative restrictions imposed on the results analysis in their three aspects: the contributions of the pertinent, current literature; the reliability, which can be questioned, of the sample size (although in this study that is an analysis of census character); and finally, how these results can be perceived in a process of great dynamism, as the quick nutritional transition in Brazil. 2424 Souza EB. Transição nutricional no Brasil: análise dos principais fatores. Cad UniFOA. 2017; 5 (13): 49-53.

The preliminary data analysis of this study shows that out of the ten groups of exploratory variables which gather factors historically associated with LBW, only 5 (the mothers’ low educational attainment, water supply with no domestic canalization, sewage not discharged into to the sewage system, the absence of prenatal care, and alcohol consumption during gestation) denote reasons of gross prevalence near or among the statistical significance values established at a 95% confidence interval. For the relations adjusted by the Poisson multiple regression, only alcohol consumption remained statistically significant in the final model.

Other studies reported significant association between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and LBW. 99 Silva ID, Quevedo LDA, Silva RAD, Oliveira SSD, Pinheiro RT. Associação entre abuso de álcool durante a gestação e o peso ao nascer. Rev Saúde Pública. 2011; 45: 864-9.,1414 Sbrana M, Grandi C, Brazan M, Junquera N, Nascimento MS, Barbieri MA, Bettiol H, Cardoso VC. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and perinatal results: a cohort study. São Paulo Med J. 2016; 134 (2): 146-52.,2525 Carvalho SS, Coelho JMF, Soares DÂB, Mariola E. Fatores maternos para o nascimento de recém-nascidos com baixo peso e prematuros: estudo caso-controle. Ciência Saúde. 2016;9(2):76-82. In Pelotas (RS, Brazil),the risk of LBW was four times higher; 99 Silva ID, Quevedo LDA, Silva RAD, Oliveira SSD, Pinheiro RT. Associação entre abuso de álcool durante a gestação e o peso ao nascer. Rev Saúde Pública. 2011; 45: 864-9. in Ribeirão Preto (SP, Brazil), 1.62 time higher; 1414 Sbrana M, Grandi C, Brazan M, Junquera N, Nascimento MS, Barbieri MA, Bettiol H, Cardoso VC. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and perinatal results: a cohort study. São Paulo Med J. 2016; 134 (2): 146-52. and in Bahia, 7.9 times higher, 2525 Carvalho SS, Coelho JMF, Soares DÂB, Mariola E. Fatores maternos para o nascimento de recém-nascidos com baixo peso e prematuros: estudo caso-controle. Ciência Saúde. 2016;9(2):76-82. compared to pregnant women who did not consumed alcohol.

In addition to LBW, literature also shows other complications associated with alcohol consumption in pregnancy, such as abortion, malformation, perinatal mortality, among others. 1414 Sbrana M, Grandi C, Brazan M, Junquera N, Nascimento MS, Barbieri MA, Bettiol H, Cardoso VC. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and perinatal results: a cohort study. São Paulo Med J. 2016; 134 (2): 146-52.

Evidences demonstrate that the alcohol consumed in pregnancy crosses the placental barrier, which allows the prolonged exposition of the fetus to the ethanol from the amniotic fluid. This substance not only harms the cell divisions but also inhibits the retinoic acid synthesis, an embryonic development regulator, producing negative effects to the fetus development and health, including serious complications as fetal alcohol syndrome. 99 Silva ID, Quevedo LDA, Silva RAD, Oliveira SSD, Pinheiro RT. Associação entre abuso de álcool durante a gestação e o peso ao nascer. Rev Saúde Pública. 2011; 45: 864-9.,1515 Mandal C, Halder D, Jung KH, Chai YG. In Utero Alcohol Exposure and the Alteration of Histone Marks in the Developing Fetus: An Epigenetic Phenomenon of Maternal Drinking. Int J Biol Sci. 2017; 13 (9): 1100-8.,1616 Paula Pena JC, Oliveira Pedersoli L, Nunes ML, Santos Freitas JM, Fernandes RAQ. Uso de álcool e tabaco na gestação: influência no peso do recém nascido. Rev Saúde-UNG-Ser. 2017; 11 (1/2): 74-82.

Regarding the complications caused by alcohol consumption, and since this habit is still practiced in pregnancy, 2626 Meucci RD, Saavedra JS, Silva ES, Branco MA, Freitas JN, Santos M, Cesar JA. Consumo de bebida alcoólica durante a gestação entre parturientes do extremo sul do Brasil. Rev Bras Saúde Mater Infant. 2017; 17 (4): 653-61.,2727 Baptista FH, Rocha KBB, Martinelli JL, Avó LRS, Ferreira RA, Germano CMR, Melo DG. Prevalência e fatores asso-ciados ao consumo de álcool durante a gravidez. Rev Bras Saúde Mater Infant. 2017; 17(2): 271-9. we emphasize the importance of actions and orientations during prenatal care. Preventing and avoiding alcohol consumption is an action taken while still in preconception care, as well as the use of medicaments, tabagism, and illegal drugs. 2828 Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Atenção à Saúde. Departamento de Atenção Básica. Cadernos de Atenção Básica. Atenção ao pré-natal de baixo risco. Série A. Normas e Manuais Técnicos. Cadernos de Atenção Básica, no. 32. Brasília-DF. 2012. [acesso em 13 jun 2018]. Disponível em: http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publica-coes/cadernos_atencao_basica_32_prenatal.pdf.
http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publica-co...

Although an association statistically significant between the other variables studied and LBW was not found, the importance of the influence of those factors found in literature stands out. In a cross-sectional study with 331,449 births occurred in Spain, Hidalgo-Lopezosa et al., 2929 Hidalgo-Lopezosa P, Jiménez-Ruz A, Carmona-Torres JM, Hidalgo-Maestre M, Rodríguez-Borrego MA, López-Soto PJ. Sociodemographic factors associated with preterm birth and low birth weight: A cross-sectional study. Women Birth. 2019; S1871-5192(18)31693-7. observed great risk of LBW in mothers who were up to 19 years old or over 35 years old, with low educational attainment, single or divorced. Furthermore, other studies also observe increased chance of low weight occurrence in newborns of mothers with low educational attainment. 77 Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento. Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher - PNDS 2006: relatório final. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde, 2009. [acesso em 17 mar 2018]. Disponível em: http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publi-cacoes/pnds_crianca_mulher.pdf
http://bvsms.saude.gov.br/bvs/publi-caco...
,1010 Silvestrin S, Silva CH, Hirakata VN, Goldani AA, Silveira PP, Goldani MZ. Maternal education level and low birth weight: a meta-analysis. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2013; 89: 339-45.,1717 Oliveira LL, Gonçalves AC, Costa JSD, Bonilha ALL. Maternal and neonatal factors related to prematurity. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2016; 50 (3): 382-9.,1818 Gonzaga ICA, Santos SLD, Silva ARVD, Campelo V. Atenção pré-natal e fatores de risco associados à prematuridade e baixo peso ao nascer em capital do nordeste brasileiro. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2016; 21(6): 1965-74.

Evidences also demonstrate association between tabagism (passive tabagism included), and LBW. 1212 Moreira MÉFH, Silva CL, Freitas RF, Macêdo MS, do Carmo Lessa A. Determinantes socioeconômicos e gesta-cionais do peso ao nascer de crianças nascidas a termo. Medicina (Ribeirao Preto. Online). 2017; 50 (2): 83-90.

13 Capelli JDCS, Pontes JS, Pereira SEA, Silva AAM, Carmo CND, Boccolini CS, Almeida MFL. Peso ao nascer e fatores associados ao período pré-natal: um estudo trans-versal em hospital maternidade de referência. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2014; 19: 2063-72.
-1414 Sbrana M, Grandi C, Brazan M, Junquera N, Nascimento MS, Barbieri MA, Bettiol H, Cardoso VC. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and perinatal results: a cohort study. São Paulo Med J. 2016; 134 (2): 146-52.,1616 Paula Pena JC, Oliveira Pedersoli L, Nunes ML, Santos Freitas JM, Fernandes RAQ. Uso de álcool e tabaco na gestação: influência no peso do recém nascido. Rev Saúde-UNG-Ser. 2017; 11 (1/2): 74-82. A study conducted with 137 women cared at a reference maternity hospital in Rio de Janeiro identified that pregnant smokers tended to have lower-weight newborns when compared with those who did not smoke. 1313 Capelli JDCS, Pontes JS, Pereira SEA, Silva AAM, Carmo CND, Boccolini CS, Almeida MFL. Peso ao nascer e fatores associados ao período pré-natal: um estudo trans-versal em hospital maternidade de referência. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2014; 19: 2063-72.

It is likely that the low number of children (294) and the already low occurrence of women who smoke may justify the scarce occurrence of LBW because of this universally recognized risk factor.

Although no statistical associations between LBW and prenatal care have been found in this study, other surveys report a relation between the number of prenatal care appointments and birth weight. 2525 Carvalho SS, Coelho JMF, Soares DÂB, Mariola E. Fatores maternos para o nascimento de recém-nascidos com baixo peso e prematuros: estudo caso-controle. Ciência Saúde. 2016;9(2):76-82.,3030 Santos MTMD, Campos T, Silva ACP, Andrade BD, Cândido APC, Oliveira RMS, Nemer ASA, Luquetti SCPD, Pereira Netto M. Fatores relacionados ao peso ao nascer: influência de dados gestacionais. Rev Med Minas Gerais. 2015;25(2):192-8. In Feira de Santana (BA), Carvalho et al. 2525 Carvalho SS, Coelho JMF, Soares DÂB, Mariola E. Fatores maternos para o nascimento de recém-nascidos com baixo peso e prematuros: estudo caso-controle. Ciência Saúde. 2016;9(2):76-82. concluded that pregnant women with less than six prenatal care visits are 2.94 times more likely to have low-birth-weight babies. Santos et al. 3030 Santos MTMD, Campos T, Silva ACP, Andrade BD, Cândido APC, Oliveira RMS, Nemer ASA, Luquetti SCPD, Pereira Netto M. Fatores relacionados ao peso ao nascer: influência de dados gestacionais. Rev Med Minas Gerais. 2015;25(2):192-8. identified that late-onset prenatal care is related to higher prevalence of newborns with inadequate weight.

It is recognized that some maternal and gestational conditions might be mediated by prenatal care, highlighting not only the appointment quantity, but also the care quality. A case-control study, when analyzing prenatal adequacy and risk factors associated with prematurity and low weight, observed that mothers with inadequate prenatal care had an increased chance of presenting the outcomes. 1818 Gonzaga ICA, Santos SLD, Silva ARVD, Campelo V. Atenção pré-natal e fatores de risco associados à prematuridade e baixo peso ao nascer em capital do nordeste brasileiro. Ciênc Saúde Coletiva. 2016; 21(6): 1965-74. This fact indicates the relevance of effective prenatal care in the prevention of LBW and other unfavorable outcomes.

In the current study, no evaluation about quality nor quantity of maternal alcohol consumption was made, which can be considered a limitation, considering differences in the effects on perinatal outcomes according to the amount consumed and the gestational period in which exposure occurred. 1414 Sbrana M, Grandi C, Brazan M, Junquera N, Nascimento MS, Barbieri MA, Bettiol H, Cardoso VC. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and perinatal results: a cohort study. São Paulo Med J. 2016; 134 (2): 146-52. Though, the studied community participated in the process of implementation of basic health actions in Brazil and Latin America almost 40 years ago. Thus, the results of this study may support strategies, from the community itself, which enable to modify this scenario in the country, such as encouraging family planning, considering that alcohol consumption can represent a real problem in all or most slum communities. 2121 Ezeh A, Oyebode O, Satterthwaite D, Chen YF, Ndugwa R, Sartori J, Mberu B, Melendez-Torres GJ, Haregu T, Watson SI, Caiaffa W, Capon A, Lilford RJ. The history, geography, and sociology of slums and the health problems of people who live in slums. Lancet. 2017; 389 (10068): 547-58.

It is much likely that the set of factors (unhealthy peridomiciliar and home environments in terms of sanitation; access, frequency, and completion of prenatal care; usage of licit and illicit drugs and other coexisting conditions), which are indicative, yet not conclusive, of the risk of LBW, should remain on the agenda of interventions justified by measures to address the problem, not only in this community but in other spaces of urban poverty in Brazil, other countries and continents.

In the descriptive aspect, a greatly important observation deals with the unfortunate scarcity of information on the distribution of birth weight of Brazilian children in poverty ecosystems, which assume, in slum communities, the most remarkable representation of social vulnerability and its implications to the health-disease process. In addition, there is heterogeneity of situations in slum communities that have not been adequately described or analysed. The study here presented contributes initially as a more generic reference of the dominant health picture in crowded populations in the urban peripheries of Brazil, Latin America, and the world. This is still far from being achieved regarding the LBW of other communities in various countries and continents.

In conclusion, this study found that children whose mothers did not drink alcohol during pregnancy were protected from the occurrence of LBW, emphasizing the relevance of maternal habits in newborn health. In addition, it is pertinent to consider the influence of other items of adverse socioeconomic conditions on perinatal outcomes, although not significantly associated with our study. Thus, we highlight the importance of actions aimed at maternal and child health, as well as adequate prenatal care in reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality. It is also noteworthy that the consumption of alcohol and other licit and illicit drugs remains a public health matter, reinforcing the need for actions and public policies directed to this topic.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    13 Jan 2020
  • Date of issue
    Oct-Dec 2019

History

  • Received
    02 Jan 2019
  • Reviewed
    06 Aug 2019
  • Accepted
    09 Apr 2019
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