Comparison of biological characteristics of mothers of infants with low birth weight (LBW) with mothers of infants with optimal weight

The birth weight of infants is an indicator indicated by health organizations. This study attempts to compare the biological characteristics of mothers of infants with low birth weight (LBW) with mothers of infants with normal weight.

This work was a comparative-causal study conducted on 325 infants and their mothers in Gorgan from 2018 to 2019. For this, a total of 171 infants with LBW and 154 infants with normal weight and their mothers were selected from the study population by random sampling. The research tool was a questionnaire on the biological, psychological, and social characteristics of parents (Afrooz, 2004). The Chi-square method and Phi coefficient were used to analyze the data in IBM SPSS Statistics V22.0.

The results of the chi‐square (χ 2) test showed a meaningful difference between the two groups, i.e., mothers of infants with LBW and mothers of infants with normal weight in terms of the history of abortion (P<0.001), bleeding during pregnancy (P<0.001), optimal mobility and rest (P<0.001) and nutritional status (P<0.001). However, no significant difference was observed between them in terms of the history of hypertension (P>0.001).

From the results, some biological characteristics of mothers exert a meaningful impact on LBW and can be given more attention in LBW prevention programs.