Predictors of Low Birth Weight Infants in the North West Province of Iran: a Case-control Study

Background: Ninety-five percent of low birth weight infants are born in developing countries. This study was aimed to assess the predictors of low birth in East Azerbaijan, North-west province of Iran. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted through a hospital based case-control design involving 49 women delivering low birth weight infants and 98 delivering normal weight infants. The data analysis was using SPSS-13 software with bivariate and multivariate methods. Results: There was a significant positive association between maternal chronological and marriage ages with low birth weight infants (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was negative association between maternal weight prior to pregnancy and low birth weight (P < 0.05). Interestingly, larger families of more than four members had higher probability for low birth weight infants in comparison to the families with less than four members (OR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.09-7.47; P-value: 0.032). According to the multivariate logistic regression independent factors associated with low birth weight include higher maternal chronological age (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.29 - 2.75; P-value: 0.001) and marriage age (OR = 4.97, 95% CI: 1.97 - 12.50; P-value: 0.001) and increase in maternal weight prior to pregnancy (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.42 - 0.86; P-value: 0.006). Conclusion: Major risk predictors of low birth weight in the Iranian female population were maternal age other than 25-30 at delivery, young maternal marriage age and lower maternal weight before pregnancy.