Abstract

MARTINEZ ARGUDIN, Xiomara Elsa; DUARTE DUARTE, Yamina; PORTALES GIL, Elizabeth  and  MIRABAL MARTINEZ, Grisell. Maternal factors and low-weight at birth, Bahia Honda. Rev Ciencias Médicas [online]. 2011, vol.15, n.1, pp. 89-102. ISSN 1561-3194.

Introduction: low-weight at birth constitutes an enigma to the current science. Objective: to carry out an assessment of some maternal risk factors associated with low-weight at birth in Bahia Honda municipality from January 2006 to June 2009. Methods: an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted which allowed characterizing women who delivered low-weight infants. A survey was applied using a form, the obstetric histories belonging to "Manuel Gonzalez Diaz" and "Pablo de la Torriente Brau" Outpatients Clinics were also examined to collect data; these data were processed by means of the descriptive statistics: quantitative and qualitative variables and chi square test to perform correlation of variables. Results: the greatest percentage of low-birth infants were delivered by mothers being 20-24, 30-34 years old, with 34.0-36.6 and 37.0 weeks of gestation. The majority of pregnant women had an adequate weight in the early stages of pregnancy; however, they gained an insufficient weight during pregnancy. Hypertension prevailed among the pathological history in pregnancy. Conclusion: maternal risk factors have an important association with low-weight at birth, so they must be identified and modified in the early stages of pregnancy to achieve maternal and fetal wellbeing.

Keywords : PREGNANT WOMEN [ethnology]; MALNUTRITION [diagnosis].

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