Incidence of low birth weight in mazandaran province, northern iran.

OBJECTIVES Low Birth Weight (LBW) has an important role in the mortality and morbidity of neonates and the incidence of LBW may vary across different environments. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and some related factors of LBW in Mazandaran province, Northern Iran. METHODS In this longitudinal study, all live births that were born in 5 maternity hospitals in Mazandaran province, north of Iran in 2011, were evaluated. Data including birth weight, sex, maternal age, gestational age, living location, number of pregnancy and delivery, as well as multiple births were recorded in medical files. LBW neonates were compared with neonates whose birth weight was more than 2,500 gram (control group). RESULTS Out of 3792 infants, 2.9% (CI 95%: 2.3-3.3) were of low birth weight. Sixty percent of the infants in the LBW group and 8.3% in the control group were preterm, (p<0.001). In the LBW group, 22.2% were multiple births, while 0.5% in control group were multiple births (p<0.001), but other variable distributions such as sex, living location and mother's age did not differ between the LBW and the control groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION Results show that the incidence of LBW in Mazandaran was low and prevention of preterm labor, educational intervention programs for high risk can be effective in the prevention of low birth weight.