Prevalence and Risk Factors of Very Low Birth Weight in Infants Born at the Maternity and Children Hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during 2012-2013

Background: The prevalence of low birth weight in infants which is associated with a large number of risk factors is increasing worldwide and is a major cause of infant morbidity and mortality.
Objective: This study aims to describe demographic, clinical and anthropometric profile of VLBW in infants, its prevalence, associated risk factors and maternal medical complications in three Maternity and Children Hospitals in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Two study designs used in this research selected two convenient samples of VLBW infants for collecting cross-sectional retrospective and prospective data. The clinical records of VLBW infants [n=387] were reviewed retrospectively for estimating the one year prevalence rate while for identifying the possible risk factors of VLBW infants, the medical files of actively admitted patients [n=61] were daily examined for a period of four months.
Results: Beside socio demographic, clinical and anthropometric characteristics of VLBW infants, this study estimated the prevalence of VLBW infants to be 3.3% along with underlying risk factors of VLBW, its comorbidities, and maternal medical complications.

Conclusion: The prevalence of VLBW infants is constantly increasing not only in Saudi Arabia but also worldwide and VLBW is associated with a variety of possible risk factors. There is a need to conduct a nationwide community-based study on the prevalence and risk factors of VLBW infants in Saudi Arabia.