- Title
- Low birth weight and its associated biopsychosocial factors over a 19-year period: Findings from a national cohort study
- Creator
- Bizuayehu, Habtamu Mellie; Harris, Melissa L.; Chojenta, Catherine; Forder, Peta M.; Loxton, Deborah
- Relation
- European Journal of Public Health Vol. 31, Issue 4, p. 776-783
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckab033
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2021
- Description
- Background: In Australia, 6.7% of babies (5.2% for singletons) are born low birth weight (LBW), and over the past decade, this figure has increased by 8%. Evidence regarding LBW has largely come from hospital-based cross-sectional studies, which are not representative, lack temporality and do not examine the potential predictors of LBW using a comprehensive theoretical framework. This study, therefore, examined predictors of LBW within a biopsychosocial framework, using a community-based representative prospective cohort with 19 years of data. Methods: The study included 11 854 singleton babies born to 5622 women from the 1973 to 1978 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Results: Among 5622 first births, 310 (5.5%) were reported as LBW. Maternal risk factors included pre-pregnancy underweight (aOR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.43–3.62), chronic diabetes (aOR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.14–4.95), gestational diabetes (aOR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.27–2.94), chronic hypertension (aOR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.50–3.33) and gestational hypertension (aOR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.78–3.36). Among all births (N = 11 854), the overall LBW rate was 3.8% with a recurrence rate of 4.8%. Identified risk factors included menarche before 12 years (aOR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.17–2.11), pre-pregnancy underweight (aOR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.46–3.45), gestational diabetes (aOR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.16–2.59), chronic hypertension (aOR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.40–2.90) and gestational hypertension (aOR = 2.81, 95% CI: 2.05–3.84). LBW was less likely for second births (aOR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.31–0.50) and third/above births (aOR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.35–0.67) compared with the first births. Conclusion: Increased nutrition counselling/supplementation for underweight women and interventions aimed at chronic disease prevention and management by using a multi-sectoral approach may be the key to the prevention of LBW.
- Subject
- low birth weight (LBW); factors; study; Australia; SDG 3; Sustainable Development Goals
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1474829
- Identifier
- uon:49380
- Identifier
- ISSN:1101-1262
- Rights
- x
- Language
- eng
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Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being
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