A STUDY ON BIRTH WEIGHT STATUS OF NEWBORN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS

Abstract

Background: Birth weight is widely recognized as a crucial and reliable indicator of
community health, serving as a measure of neonatal morbidity and mortality. In India, however, birth weight is often not documented, as approximately 80% of deliveries occur at home or in rural health centers where weighing scales are frequently unavailable or malfunctioning. The objective of this study was to identify the most effective surrogate parameters for estimating birth weight and to establish cutoff values for various anthropometric measurements to detect low birth weight infants. Materials and Methods: All term infants born during the study period were weighed at birth and measured within 24 hours of delivery using a flexible, nonstretchable measuring tape with a precision of 0.1 cm. Results: A total of 1,028 newborns were included over a two-year period. The study found that chest circumference and thigh circumference are among the most effective surrogate parameters for identifying low birth weight infants. The cutoff values determined were 30.4 cm and 30.6 cm for chest circumference, and 13.6 cm and 13.8 cm for thigh circumference in male and female neonates, respectively. Conclusion: These parameters can be utilized by health workers at the community level to identify infants at high risk of low birth weight, facilitating timely referrals and potentially reducing infant mortality rates in rural regions.