Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Comparing foot length measurements of newborns in high and low risk pregnancies at a public hospital in Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
METHOD
A cross-sectional study carried out between April, 2013 and May, 2015, with a sample consisting of 180 newborns; 106 infants of women from high-risk pregnancies and 74 of women from low-risk pregnancies. Data were descriptively analyzed. Foot length measurement was performed using a stiff transparent plastic ruler, graduated in millimeters. The length of both feet was measured from the tip of the hallux (big toe) to the end of the heel.
RESULTS
A statistically significant relationship was found between the foot length and newborn’s weight, between the cephalic and thoracic perimeters in the high-risk group and between the cephalic perimeter in the control group.
CONCLUSION
There is a need for creating cut-off points to identify newborns with intrauterine growth disorders using foot length.
Descriptors
Infant Newborn; Gestacional Age; Pregnancy, High-Risk; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Maternal-Child Nursing