Abstract

PIP: Paramedics collected data on 2849 single live infants born between July 1989-June 1990 at the maternal and Child Health Training Institute in Dhaka, Bangladesh to examine effects and the timing of antenatal care on birth weight. Mean birth weight stood at 2667 gm which was considerably lower than the mean for Asia (2900 gm). 26.7% weighed 2500 gm (low birth weight [LBW]). Female infants were more likely to have an LBW than male infants (28.7% vs. 24.6%; p.05). 83.6% of the LBW infants were full-term infants so they were small for gestational age (SGA). Either fetal or maternal malnutrition was probably responsible for this high proportion of SGA infants. Only 4 of the 128 premature infants weighed =or 2500 gm. 65.9% of all mothers had antenatal care. 43.4% of the mothers who did not receive antenatal care had an LBW infant compared with 18% for mothers who did receive antenatal care. The mean birth weights for these 2 groups were 2508 gm and 2742 gm, respectively. Birth weight had a positive correlation with the frequency of antenatal care visits (p.0001). 3 antenatal care visits were quite effective in reducing the proportion of LBW infants. Just 13% of the mothers visited the clinic regularly from the 1st trimester. The timing of the 1st visit did not have a significant effect on birth weight. Antenatal care had a positive effect on birth weight independent of the effect of maternal age. These results showed that motivating pregnant women to seek antenatal care can be productive even if they are in the last trimester of pregnancy. They also indicated a need to improve information, education, and communication efforts. Researchers should conduct a well-designed prospective operational study to determine whether a minimal number of visits are needed to improve birth weight.