Original scientific paper

PREDICTIVE FACTORS IN DETERMINATION OF NEWBORN WEIGHT

Joško ZEKAN
Mario KOPLJAR
Dina PFEIFER
Dražen PULANIĆ

Abstract

Recent observations that there is a secular variation in newborn
weight and length call for their continuous assessment, as well as
evaluating factors that influence them. The influence of maternal
age, weight and height, as well as the number of previous deliveries,
abortions and the number of cigarettes smoked per day
on newborn weight and length was examined. Data were collected
from 181 healthy pregnant women from Zagreb, Croatia,
who delivered healthy newborns in term. Multiple regression, correlation
coefficients and variance analysis were performed to assess
the significance of tested variables on observed fetal features.
Maternal age has no significant influence on birth weight,
even though mothers younger than 20 and older than 30 tend to
have lighter children. Both the numbers of previous deliveries and
abortions showed no significant correlation to newborn weight.
The number of cigarettes smoked per day during pregnancy and
maternal pre-pregnancy weight were found to have significant
correlation to newborn weight and length. Maternal height correlated
significantly with newborn weight and length, but when multiple
regression was performed, controlling for other parameters,
no significant influence on newborn weight was found. These
results indicate that smoking cessation and im-provement in maternal
nutritional status (expressed as body weight) are the two modifiable
factors that play a significant role in the reduction of low
birth weight children, and thus the reduction of perinatal mortality.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

20334

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/20334

Publication date:

30.6.1999.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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