Determinants of low birth weight in Franceville, Southeast Gabon

Introduction: birth weight is a critical indicator of neonatal health and predicts future developmental outcomes. Despite its importance, there is a notable lack of research on the determinants of low birth weight (LBW) in southeast Gabon. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying factors contributing to LBW at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Amissa Bongo in Franceville.

Methods: this retrospective analysis covered the period from February 2011 to May 2017, focusing on postpartum women and their infants. Data were analyzed using R software (version 4.3.2), employing both descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Statistical significance was determined at a p-value of less than 0.05.

Results: among the 877 births analyzed, the prevalence of LBW was 8.4%. Bivariate analysis identified several factors associated with an increased risk of LBW, including, primigravida women (COR (95%CI) =0.59 (0.36-0.98), P = 0.036), primiparous women (COR (95%CI) =0.58 (0.36-0. 94), P = 0.024), women with a gestational age <37 weeks (COR (95%CI) =0.07 (0.04-0.11), P<0.001), women with ≤2 antenatal visits (COR (95%CI) =0.39 (0.18-0.93), P= 0.021), and women who underwent cesarean delivery (COR (95%CI) =0.46 (0.26-0.84), P = 0.008). However, multivariate analysis showed that only gestational age (AOR (95%CI) = 0.07 (0.04-0.11), P<0.001) and cesarean delivery (AOR (95%CI) = 0.48 (0.25-0.95), P = 0.03) were significantly associated with LBW.

Conclusion: this study highlights the importance of gestational age and delivery method in the prevalence of LBW in southeast Gabon. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address these risk factors, thereby improving neonatal health outcomes.