Foundation:

the high frequency of newborns with less than adequate weight, in relation to maternal anemia, insufficient prenatal care and single mother status, can have important repercussions on the health of mothers and children.

Objective:

to identify the relationship between prenatal control, maternal anemia and the condition of being a single mother with low birth weight of infants.

Method:

an observational, analytical and retrospective case-control study was carried out in pregnant women treated in a hospital in the Sierra region of Ecuador during the year 2022. The sample was 280 patients. The case group was made up of pregnant women with children with low birth weight (n = 70) and the control group was made up of pregnant women with newborns with normal weight (n = 210). The Chi square test of independence was performed and the Odds Ratio and its 95 % confidence interval were calculated for the level of association between the variables.

Results:

the relationship between the variable attendance at prenatal check-ups and low birth weight showed a protective association (OR = 0,5). Maternal anemia (OR = 3,1) and being a single mother (OR = 2,3) were identified as risk factors due to their high values of positive and direct association.

Conclusions:

prenatal control, maternal anemia and single mother status turned out to have a significant level of association with low birth weight.