The Prevalence and Risk Factors for Low Birth Weight among Term Newborns in Adwa General Hospital, Northern Ethiopia

Background. World health organization estimates that 25 million LBW babies are born annually worldwide and 95% occur in developing countries. Objective. To assess the prevalence and associated factors of low birth weight among term neonates delivered in Adwa Hospital, Northern Ethiopia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among neonates delivered in Adwa Hospital. All live births delivered from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2016, were included in this study. The study participants were selected through systematic sampling technique and the data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Data was entered to Epi Data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. To identify independent predictors, bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regressions were employed. Adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were used to determine the strength of association. Results. The prevalence of term low birth weight was 10%. The risk factors were mothers aged less than 20 years, mothers whose pregnancy was desired, mothers with a history of abortion, and mothers with normal hemoglobin, iron with folic acid, and HIV status. Conclusion. The burden of LBW obtained in this study was in the same range as in some other countries.