Kayla Erosa

Anthropometric determinants of low birth weight in newborns of

Hoshiarpur district (Punjab) A hospital based study
Introduction
This study was performed in the Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, India. There
were 504 newborns comprised in the study. Women who were pregnant with a
single baby were selected and followed up to delivery and the baby was measured
within 48 hours of birth.
This research was done to understand and determine the weight of newborn
infants by using anthropometric measurements. This research is important as Low
Birth Weight (LBW) can lead to long term disabilities such as mental retardation,
cerebral palsy, vision and hearing impairments and other developmental disabilities
and even death.

Material and Method

The study was performed on healthy women between the ages of 20-35 who
were pregnant with one baby. Any women who had a disease or was pregnant with
multiple babies were excluded from the study. The study lasted for 16 months from
May 2009 to September 2010. The newborn babies were measured within 48 hours
of birth using anthropometric measurements to determine LBW.
Anthropometric measurements include height, weight, crown heel length,
head circumference, chest circumference, mid-arm circumference, abdominal
circumference, thigh circumference, subscapular, biceps, triceps, thigh and half
skinfold thickness. According to the article, the national neonatal perinatal database

reported that in India, about one third of all babies born in major hospitals have a
low birth weight. It was discovered that 82% of neonatal deaths were among LBW
babies.
This research is important because if a baby is born with LBW, it can be
identified by multiple measures and action can be taken to reduce mortality and to
help the baby with its development. LBW can be determined not just by a scale but
by other methods of measurements. These measurements can be taken in any city,
state, or country and appropriate action can be taken to help the baby survive and
determine and understand if there are any impairments the baby might have due to
LBW. This article is meant to help understand and perform anthropometric
measurements to help identify LBW in newborns.

Results
Any babies that were born weighing less than 2.5 kg (5.5lbs) without clothing,
were considered LBW. Out of 504 newborns, 102 newborns (20.23%) had a
birthweight of less than 5.5 lbs. 58 of those were male and 44 were female. Out of
the total 504, 402 (79.77%) had a normal birth weight. Of those, 215 were male and
188 were female.
Anthropometric measurements were taken and the measurements for the
newborns with LBW showed smaller to significantly smaller measurements in all
areas. Lower measurements indicated LBW and that there could be problems that
the attending doctors and nurses need to be prepared for.
The conclusion determined that the regression coefficients of crown heel
length, head circumference, mid arm circumference, subscapular skinfold, biceps
skinfold and thigh skinfold thicknesses proved to be more positive. This indicated

that performing these anthropometric measurements of newborns would lead to an

increase in birth weight. However, the regression coefficient of abdominal
circumference proved to be more negative. This revealed that an increase in the
abdominal circumference of newborns, would lead to a decline in the birth weight of
newborns. This indicated that of crown heel length, head circumference, mid arm
circumference, subscapular skinfold, biceps skinfold and thigh skinfold thicknesses
are the significant contributors of birth weight of newborns. 1 (Kaur, Hardeep;
Bansal, Rupinder 2012)

Discussion
This study made it clear that anthropometric measurements are just as
important as weighing the baby. This study isnt just important in India. It helps
people all over the world realize that there is a public health issue that needs to be
addressed and we need to find and implement measures to help identify and
understand what we can do to prevent and help babies with LBW.
It is unmistakable as to what Kaur and Bansals objective is as it is stated
clearly in the article, Detection of LBW immediately at birth is of paramount
importance to ensure the infants survival. 2 (Kaur, Hardeep; Bansal, Rupinder
2012)

References:

Kaur, Hardeep; Bansal, Rupinder. Anthropometric determinants of low birth weight

in newborns of Hoshiarpur district (Punjab) A hospital based study. (2012) Dept of
Human Biology, Punjabi University, Patiala