Maternal Factors Affecting Birth Weight of New Born Babies in Maiduguri

Abstract

Data collected from the Medical Records Department of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) from October to December 2009 were used to assess the effects of some maternal factors (age, parity, duration of pregnancy, ethnic groups, maternal health conditions and antenatal care attendance) on the birth weight of babies. The study showed that in Maiduguri, the incidence of low birth weight (LBW) was 28.5% and about 3.5% of the babies were macrosomic. The mean birth weight (MBW) was 2.86kg and this was found to be significantly affected by the mother’s age, parity, duration of pregnancy and by antenatal care utilization. The influence of maternal ethic group and maternal health condition during pregnancy were also obtained.

Keywords: Birth weight, Mean birth weight (MBW), Low birth weight (LBW), Maternal factors, Macrosomic, Parity