Factors Associated with Low Birth Weight deliveries in Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Nairobi-Kenya

Abstract/Overview

Low birth weight (LBW) is a major determinant of morbidity, mortality and disability in infancy and childhood and has a long-term impact on health outcomes in adult life. It results in substantial costs to the health sector and imposes a significant burden on society as a whole. This study sought to determine risk factors associated with LBW deliveries in Pumwani Maternity Hospital (PMH), Nairobi, Kenya. It focused on LBW and maternal socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle and medical factors. This was a cross-sectional study which comprised of 405 women who delivered at Pumwani Maternity Hospital between December 2010 and February 2011. Systematic Random sampling was used to select the study participants. Face to face interviews using semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 16.0. The prevalence of LBW was 32.8%. There was a significant association between LBW and average number of meals consumed per day during pregnancies (OR= 2.65, p=0.001), maternal anaemia (OR= 22.53, p=0.001), hypertension (OR= 7.14, p