PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PRETERM BIRTH AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT IN WEST ALGERIA (RELIZANE AND SIDI BEL ABBES REGIONS)

Introduction: Low birth weight is a key issue in public health, especially for developing countries, it is a result of preterm delivery or the birth of a growth restricted fetus. The rates of preterm delivery and low birth weight neonates have increased in the recent years in spite of increased antenatal visits, therefore the objective was to determine the prevalence and the factors associated with low birth weight and preterm birth, and their contribution to the problem, in west of Algeria.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in both Relizane and Sidi-bel-Abbes regions, total samples were 12030 newborns, among all patients who delivered during the study period, data was collected by using the existing data, and analyzed by appropriate statistical methods using Student’s t test, Pearson’s chi square test and unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressions to estimate odds ratios.

Results: In the study period, there were 12030 births including 894 preterm and 785 low birth weight deliveries, representing a prevalence of 7.4% and 6.5% respectively, the findings indicate that maternal parity, gestational age, maternal complications during pregnancy, number of fetuses, and the season of delivery were risk factors for low birth weight. In addition to these factors, maternal age was found to influence the preterm birth.

Conclusion: Birth weight is a sensitive indicator for predicting infant survival and morbidity, because of that It is important to conduct population-based studies in order to obtain more information regarding birth weights and preterm birth such as prevalence and risk indicators.