Predictive Factors in Determination of Newborn Weight

Recent observations that there is a secular variation in newborn weight and length call for their continuous assessment, as well as evaluating factors that influence them. The influence of maternal age, weight and height, as well as the number of previous deliveries, abortions and the number of cigarettes smoked per day on newborn weight and length was examined. Data were collected from 181 healthy pregnant women from Zagreb, Croatia, who delivered healthy newborns in term. Multiple regression, correlation coefficients and variance analysis were performed to assess the significance of tested variables on observed fetal features. Maternal age has no significant influence on birth weight, even though mothers younger than 20 and older than 30 tend to have lighter children. Both the numbers of previous deliveries and abortions showed no significant correlation to newborn weight. The number of cigarettes smoked per day during pregnancy and maternal pre-pregnancy weight were found to have significant correlation to newborn weight and length. Maternal height correlated significantly with newborn weight and length, but when multiple regression was performed, controlling for other parameters, no significant influence on newborn weight was found. These results indicate that smoking cessation and im-provement in maternal nutritional status (expressed as body weight) are the two modifiable factors that play a significant role in the reduction of low birth weight children, and thus the reduction of perinatal mortality.