Birth weight of twins: 1. The fetal growth patterns of twins and singletons

Effect of behavior change communication through the health development army on birth weight of newborns in Ambo district, Ethiopia: a cluster randomized controlled community trial

BACKGROUND

Poor behavior change communication on maternal nutrition and health throughout pregnancy is thought to be to blame for Ethiopia's high rate of low birthweight babies, and this has implications for neonatal morbidity and mortality. The effect of behavior change communication on birth weight in the study district was not examined. This study was to determine whether improving neonatal birthweight using nutrition and health behavior change communication (NHBCC) interventions was successful.

METHODS

A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Ambo district of Ethiopia from May 5, 2018-January 30, 2019. At the beginning of the study, 385 women in the 24 intervention groups and 385 women in the 24 control groups were recruited. In the intervention group, health development armies delivered the NHBCC core message every two weeks for four months by grouping pregnant women in specific clusters. Pregnant women in the control group received the routine treatment offered by the healthcare system during their ANC visits. Within 24 h of birth, the birthweights of 302 and 292 neonates in the intervention and control groups, respectively, were measured at the end point of the study. A binary generalized linear model analysis was employed.

RESULT

The control group had a larger absolute risk of neonates with low birthweight (0.188 vs. 0.079, p < 0.001) than the intervention group. Pregnant women in the intervention group had an absolute risk difference of 10.9% for low birthweight. Pregnant women who received the intervention were 62% less likely to have low-risk birthweight compared to pregnant women who were in the control group (ARR = 0.381, 95% CI: 0.271-0.737).

CONCLUSION

Nutrition and health behavior change Communication by health development armies improves birthweight. The findings demonstrated that to improve birthweight, NHBCC must be administered to pregnant women in groups via health development armies in their communities.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

PACTR201805003366358.

Determinantes do baixo peso ao nascer a partir das Declarações de Nascidos Vivos

Este estudo teve como objetivos conhecer a distribuição do peso de nascimento das crianças de Campinas (SP) e indicar fatores de risco para baixo peso. Realizou-se estudo transversal no qual foram utilizados dados das 14.444 Declarações de Nascidos Vivos de 2001. A variável dependente foi o peso de nascimento, e as independentes as características maternas, gestacionais, do parto e do recém-nascido. Na avaliação da associação entre variáveis empregou-se teste de qui-quadrado e calculou-se valores de odds ratio brutos (OR) e ajustados (ORaj). A média do peso de nascimento foi 3.142g, variando de 285 a 5.890g; 65,1% das crianças pesaram 3.000g ou mais, 25,7% entre 2.500 e 2.999g e 9,1% menos de 2.500g. Os determinantes para baixo peso em prematuros foram cesariana, gemelaridade, recém-nascidos femininos e os de mulheres com menos de sete consultas de pré-natal. Para crianças a termo os riscos foram gestação dupla, tripla ou mais, filhos de mulheres com mais de 34 anos, das com até sete anos de estudo, com oito a onze e das com menos de sete consultas de pré-natal. A distribuição de peso de nascimento em Campinas foi inadequada e a proporção de baixo peso foi mais que o dobro dos países desenvolvidos. Os recém-nascidos prematuros que nasceram por cesariana, os prematuros e os a termo de gestação múltipla, os femininos, os de mulheres com pré-natal inadequado e os a termo daquelas com maior idade e baixa escolaridade apresentaram maior chance de nascer com baixo peso.