Prevalence of Low Birth Weight Neonates during COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Care Hospital at Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan

Shahani, Muhammad Parial and Manaf, Mohd Rizal Abdul and Aizuddin, Azimatun Noor and Rahman, Aneela Atta Ur and Shaikh, Saeed Ahmed and Shah, Qararo (2021) Prevalence of Low Birth Weight Neonates during COVID-19 Pandemic in a Tertiary Care Hospital at Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 33 (43B). pp. 91-96. ISSN 2456-9119

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Abstract

In comparison to other middle-income countries, Pakistan has a high prevalence of low birth weight. Currently the situation has worsened because of the COVID-19 pandemic where stress can have a negative impact on intrauterine development, leading to a rise in preterm birth rates and the incidence of low birth weight babies. The goal of this study is to estimate the prevalence of low birth weight in a tertiary care hospital in Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this cross-sectional study, the hospital records of two thousand, two hundred and seventy eight neonates were analyzed from patients’ data register for the year 2020. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel spread sheet. Of 2278 children admitted to the neonatal ward, only 29.2% babies had birth weight within normal range, 0.7% neonates were high birth weight, and the rest of the admitted babies (70.1%) during the year 2020 had birth weight below 2500 grams. Smallest birth weight observed in the study was 0.9 kg and 4.8 kg was highest birth weight (mean 2.35 kg, SD 0.88, SE 0.012). Female neonates were 895 (39.3%) and the rest of the 1383 (60.7%) babies were male. This study revealed that in Sindh province of Pakistan, the prevalence of low birth weight is extremely high during COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the findings suggest that there is need for a lot more emphasis on improving maternal mental health, nutrition and several other relevant factors to reduce the prevalence of low birth weight.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Journal Eprints > Medical Science
Depositing User: Managing Editor
Date Deposited: 15 May 2023 04:20
Last Modified: 18 Jun 2024 06:45
URI: http://repository.journal4submission.com/id/eprint/1535

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